Bleached Blue
by BrawlBroMario
Summary: Ejected into the world of One Piece during his battle with Yhwach, Ichigo loses his path of being the number one protector. Now In a world with strange powers, and even stranger people, what is Ichigo hoping to accomplish?
1. Bleach the Sky Blue Ichigo!

**Hello everybody I would just like to say before you start reading that this is my first Fanfiction I have ever written. I have been a lurker on this website for a long time but I've finally decided to write my own story. Please give reasonable feedback. I'm very new to this so I would love all the help I can get. If I make any spelling mistakes or want to throw any ideas at me please feel free to do so.**

**I don't own One Piece or Bleach, both belong to their respective owners.**

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_**Prologue**_

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The infinite blue sky seemed to stretch forever as puffy clouds floated high in the sky.

Warm wind brushed past a certain orange haired teen whose eyes slowly opened to the world around him.

_**What… happened?**_

Past events unclear Ichigo tried to sit up but it was in vain as he couldn't move any of his muscles in his body, having felt like he was sucked dry of all his Reiatsu.

His eye's groggily scanned the sky, his face turning towards the sun blinding him momentarily. Trying and failing to raise his arms to protect his eyes from the sun, he shut his eyes again trying to stop the light trying to pierce his retinas.

He felt disoriented, the ground unstable beneath him as he opened his eyes with more success this time, making sure to face away from the sun.

He noticed his current location wasn't what he was expecting. He was in a wooden boat of some kind. That would explain the disorienting feeling as he noticed the boat rise up and down.

It wasn't that big of a boat either. It felt more like a raft or a small lifeboat.

He couldn't see any water from where he was lying down but he assumed he was definitely on water of some sorts. The strong distinct smell of the ocean helped confirm his current whereabouts. But that didn't help narrow down exactly where he was.

His head was fuzzy and trying to piece together how he ended up in this situation seemed to cause his pounding head to pound even harder.

He groaned as he was able to shift his body slightly. His hand grazed something cold and hard to the touch as Ichigo gazed at his right hand.

His eyes widened as he noticed it was the longer version of Zangetsu next to him. He twisted his head to the other side of his body noticing it's shorter version lying lazily next to his other hand.

_Was I fighting someone?_

He gazed hard at Zangetsu as if waiting to hear the comforting voice of his Zanpakuto spirit one more time.

But no voice came to him. No voice came to soothe his current fears that were threatening to burst forth.

A moment passed before Ichigo's eyes threatened to shoot out of his skull as he remembered what had happened.

"YHWACH" He yelled as he mustered all of his strength to sit up looking for the bastard he had been fighting.

His heart was pounding hard in his chest as he grabbed both of his swords in his hands ready to strike anything at a moment's notice. Both swords glimmered dangerously ready to cut down anything.

It was all for naught as Ichigo took a look at his surroundings.

His jaw slightly dropped as he noticed he was in the middle of the ocean. The sea was unnaturally calm and the ocean seemed to go Infinitely in every direction no matter where he looked.

The soft chirping of seagulls could be heard flying high above him In the sky.

His two swords loosened from his grip as the quick adrenaline rush seemed to weaken him further. His vision swam as he had sat up too quickly. He clutched his head with his free hand.

He slouched over in confusion and exhaustion. He was fighting the Quincy king he was sure. But what exactly happened?

His eyes were restless scanning the horizon as if waiting for something to happen, anything at all.

Was he sent here by the Quincy King?

Was this a trap? A ruse for him to drop his guard to be struck down at a moment's notice.

He couldn't feel any of the Reiatsu signatures anyone he knew. Hell he couldn't feel the Reiatsu of a single thing around him.

_Just how far in the ocean am I!?_

He dropped both his hands to his side slightly gripping his two swords, waiting again for anything to happen.

_I can't afford to let me guard down, anything could happen._

His body shifted slightly as he felt something fall out of his Haori. He gazed down at the boat noticing a piece of paper.

Ichigo tilted his head slightly in confusion.

He let him grip falter as both swords once again left his grip.

His scowl etched itself deeper onto his face as he reached down and slowly opened the mysterious letter.

**_Dear my beloved student Ichigo-kun, if you are reading this than the worst case scenario has occurred._**

Ichigo nearly tore the paper in half as he felt his pounding heart pound even further. This was a letter from Urahara that much he could tell. But why a letter? This was out of character for even Urahara.

Ichigo wanting to satisfy his curiosity continued to read.

_**This letter was written by your favorite teacher if the soul king was ever killed. You see my student, the whole of Soul Society, The World of The Living, and Hueco Mundo are held together by the Soul Kings power. If someone were to say, kill the soul king, all our realities would collapse on each other and cease to exist.**_

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the text. _The world would end?_

**_I had created a special device to activate if this ever occurred. You see Ichigo-kun before I sent you up to the Royal Palace with your friends I had snuck this letter and a small device into your Haori while you weren't looking._**

**_Now don't be mad at me it was your father's idea not mine._**

**_Your father and I decided that if the worst possible case of the world ending did occur, we would want at least one of us to keep living, and that my dear student is you._**

**_You had the highest chance of survival._**

Ichigo felt himself hyperventilating. This had to be a bad dream, someone from the 11th Division must of been playing a prank on him. Maybe that bastard scientist Mayuri was using him as a test subject of some sort of twisted practical joke.

But it didn't feel like that far of a stretch from the truth. He had heard in passing from Aizen and Urahara that the Soul King kept the order of the 3 realms. Aizen had wanted to kill the soul king and take the power for himself.

Ichigo's memory was still fuzzy but he remembered Yhwach wanting to do the same thing.

Ichigo shook his head and continued reading.

**_In my years of researching the Dangai I came to an astounding discovery of the vast mysterious nature that bridged the realms together. And during that study I found a dilemma._**

**_Now you know me being the genius I am my faithful student that there's few things I don't understand. And this is something I have no idea about. I know what you are thinking 'Even such a genius as yourself doesn't understand something you must be joking Urahara-san'. It flatters me but that's besides the point._**

Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. _Damn that Hat n' Clogs._ Ichigo felt his teeth grind slightly.

_**I discovered another world disconnected from our own, an alternate reality of sorts. What kind of world it is I have no idea myself due to the impossible nature of traveling to such a place.**_

**_I had created a device specifically to travel to the new world, a device to open a portal to the world._**

**_You see my lovely student, the insane amount of Reiatsu to hold together such a portal and keep it from not collapsing on itself is so ridiculous that the late Head Captain and yourself possess enough Reiatsu to make such a thing possible. Not many people have this much Reiatsu, even such a genius as myself would be incapable of keeping the portal open to get even a fifth of the way._**

_So that would explain why I feel completely sucked dry of my Reiatsu._

Now Ichigo had heard it all. A portal to a new universe? And he just so happened to be the only one who could travel in this portal Hat n' Clogs was talking about. How convenient.

Ichigo felt like he was doubting himself, this wasn't a joking matter than Urahara would just do on a whim. His father and Urahara must have had this planned for a long time. Ichigo didn't know how to feel about that, they had been planning his survival long before he even knew that the world could end.

Ichigo suddenly felt a pressure weigh on his mind as the insane reality of the situation seemed to feel far more real.

**_To keep a long story short you are the perfect candidate for this little expedition into the unknown._**

**_Your father and I wanted you to keep living Ichigo. We hope that you aren't reading this letter from another reality, but reading it after you were victorious in battle, and we are all laughing about it together._**

Ichigo felt his his scowl etch itself harder on his face.

_**But If that's not the case than I can only offer you some last words of advice from your former teacher.**_

_**Live.**_

Ichigo's eyes widened.

**_Live your life Ichigo. Your father and I have known you will never falter no matter what obstacle stands in your way._**

**_But this is the greatest obstacle of all Ichigo. You must move on._**

**_-From yours truly, Kisuke Urahara._**

Ichigo stared long and hard at the paper. Alternate reality? The world ended? The world of the living gone?

His hand holding the paper dropped to his side as his gaze became blank.

"Everyone's gone?" He muttered to himself.

Everyone? Yuzu? Karin? Goat-chin? Inoue? Chad? Uryu? Everyone from soul society was gone? Just like that?

He felt his eyes water as tears started to fall freely down his face.

He had failed everyone. Everyone had died. Yhwach had killed the soul king and the world he knew was gone. And he was the only one survivor.

_Why me?_

He didn't consider himself special, he had always tried his hardest to protect everyone he could, but this time it wasn't enough.

He had failed.

The tears never stopped coming, he felt himself sob quietly as the sun beat down on his back.

He had failed.

He didn't know how much time had passed. He didn't care. He felt so empty he was surprised that he didn't just collapse already.

In his despair he tried to keep recalling the events that lead up to his unexpected departure from his universe. He came up blank. He couldn't remember what had happened.

The last thing he remembered was storming into the palace with his friends, but after that….

His gaze felt lifeless and he looked one more time at the letter. His eyes slightly widened as he noticed there was something written on the back as well.

Reaching for the paper one more time he read it again, noticing the distinct writing of his father.

_**Ichigo, it's your father. I want you to know if you are reading this that you can not despair.**_

Ichigo for the 100th time today felt his eyes widen.

**_If I saw you now you'd probably be giving up just like before I beat it into your head that you can't give up on yourself. Why do you think your loving father keeps you on your toes every morning? Its for your sake!_**

**_This couldn't be avoided even with the help of everybody. There was nothing you could have done to stop this from happening. Even after everything you have overcome._**

**_This isn't an enemy that could have been simply defeated like others. This wasn't an enemy that you could simply learn the Final Gestuga Tenshou and defeat him in a single attack, no Yhwach is much worse._**

**_He was trying to kill god for Christ sake Ichigo you know how crazy that is!_**

Ichigo felt himself deadpan at the absurdity of his father's words.

_**Anyway, I'll never forget the look of despair on your face before I told you about the Final Gestuga Tenshou technique. Seeing you in such a sorry state made me want to beat it into your head that you can't despair.**_

_**If I saw that look on your face right now I'd pound your head until I make you remember who you truly are.**_

_**The number one protector.**_

Ichigo felt a small smile tug his lips at the words.

**_You may of failed us now, but even from beyond the grave if I catch you with that look of despair on your face again I will personally come back from the dead again and smack you until you understand! You good for nothing son of mine!_**

**_Ignore that I was technically dead before (being a Shinigami and all) but enough of that._**

**_We love you Ichigo, your mother would be proud. You know Yuzu and Karin well enough that they would accept this. Knowing you gave it your all._**

**_Don't worry about us._**

**_I heard from Kisuke that this Alternate Universe might have some cool stuff, maybe some pretty girls._**

**_Don't forget to make me some grandchildren!_**

**_-All the fatherly love in the world, Isshin Kurosaki._**

…

He sniffed as he felt warm tears run down his face slightly soaking the paper in his hand.

It felt unreal. It was too much to take in at once. He knew he had failed them, but why didn't he feel as much despair as he thought he would?

Was it the words of stupid goat-chin? Such a simple mindless letter had managed to lift his spirits if only by a tiny fraction.

This was ridiculous. He honestly could see his old man smiling at him right now.

He folded the letter putting it back in his Haori as he laid back down on the boat. He felt exhausted, from crying, from fighting, from failing everybody, from Urahara's and his Father's last words to him.

But most of all, he felt exhausted that he wouldn't see his friends and family again.

Again he didn't know how much time had passed, but the sun slowly but surely lowered itself in the sky as long shadows draped the sky in wonderful colors.

It felt unreal again, being alone like this. In the past he always had his friends to help lean on in times of trouble. His fights with Chad before he got his Shinigami powers. The time everyone stormed into Soul Society to save Rukia, and even when they stormed into Hueco Mundo to save Inoue.

Ichigo felt himself blink at that. Before he got here he was storming into the Royal Palace with his friends this time. Ichigo couldn't help but a small smile bloom on his face as his scowl lessened. He was always charging straight into situations with his friends beside him.

Now they were gone, erased from existence with only the memories he had of them remaining. He had no pictures on him of his family or his friends. Only his memories of them. Ichigo frowned at that thought.

Taking in the beautiful sky one last time, he closed his eyes, as his mental exhaustion took a hold of him, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

But one last thought took a hold of him before he passed out.

_Just how exactly did I end up in this boat?_

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**Author's Notes**

**I'm trying my best to think of a proper way of getting Ichigo with his unlocked powers integrated into the One Piece world. If you have any ideas please feel free to message me or leave a review.**

**This is going to be a hard undertaking, a reason why I'm thinking very hard about how to accomplish this.**

**I've been inspired by many other works of Bleach and One Piece, mainly the ones that have Ichigo using his Fullbring powers. But in the grand scheme of things, Fullbring Ichigo isn't that powerful compared to a lot of the One Piece cast. I hope to continue writing this story, and if I receive more motivation I will try to update whenever I can and hope to get a schedule in place.**

**But for now this is an experiment. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Washed Aboard

**Just want to update with a quick short chapter to test if this is a good direction for the story to go towards. The story takes places around chapter 310 of the One Piece manga. I have an idea for the direction of the story, and a way for Ichigo to exist in the world without being too strong or too weak. But for now enjoy!**

**One Piece and Bleach each belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 2**

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The warm breeze of the grand line gently pushed the Sexy Foxy ship to its new destination. Where that was no one knew. The loss at the hands of the Straw Hat left a big impression on the recently crooked Foxy the Silver Fox.

That is to say if the Captain wasn't still crooked.

It had been a few days since the Captain had lost the 'fair fight' between himself and the Straw Hat.

The crew seemed to be lazing around, relaxing after the intense battles from a few days ago.

"The Captain seems to be obsessed with that Straw Hat." One of the crew members of the Sexy Foxy said. A few of the crew members he was talking to glanced over at their captain.

The captain of the ship Foxy The Silver Fox, whose previous record of winning 920 'fair fights' in a row had been defeated by the newcomer to the pirate world. The straw hat seemed to create drama wherever he went.

"I will remember this Straw Hat, I will beat you next time!" Foxy yelled as he practiced his jabbing on a training dummy, who just so happened to have a similar straw hat on its head. He was currently donned in his usual outfit, high suspenders with his chest visible, but sporting a very stylish afro and a pair of red boxing gloves.

Foxy the Silver Fox may not look intimidating, but his power of the Noro Noro no Mi being able to channel a beam out of body to slow any object or person for 30 seconds combined with his dirty style of fighting, he is a force to be reckoned with. Usually being able to end any fight with an upper advantage of using his Devil Fruit power to catch his opponent off guard, and swiftly going in for the finishing blow.

With that power he had 'fairly' won 920 matches in a row.

Until that damn Straw Hat came into his life.

"That was an amazing fight though! No one in the crew has even seen Foxy beaten before." Another crew mate added.

A few nodded in agreement. Seeing their captain lose had a huge impact on the crew as a whole. A few of them even wished that maybe if the Straw Hat had become their captain more interesting fights would come, since most fights against Foxy ended in the first minute.

"Let him be. He took the loss pretty harshly, but I haven't seen the captain this energetic in a long time." Porche said gaining the attention of the crew mates who were talking previously.

Porche was one of the first members of Foxy's crew and been with her captain the entire way. Hamburg was also one of the first crew members, but he currently was most likely napping.

She leaned over on the side of the ship staring out at the ocean. Maybe something interesting would happen today?

"I for one am glad we didn't have to switch crews again. I barely got used to this one." Another member of the crew said, gaining a look of understanding from his other shipmates.

It wasn't easy being taken from your old crew and being introduced into a new one expecting things to be the same.

No one would say it openly but a lot of the crew weren't too happy with their current conditions. Many still wanted to return to their old crews. But promises were promises and they would stick with their captain Foxy until the worst happened.

Porche turned her head noticing a few of the other crew mates joining in on the captains training, no doubt inspired by the events that took place on Long Ring Long Land Island.

Even a few of the bigger and stronger crew seemed to be training as well.

She could only smile and shake her head. Things really did seem different around here after meeting the Straw Hats.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she felt that Straw Hat had a big impact on the pirates he came across on the Grand Line, herself included.

It seemed to be another lax day for the crew. No new pirate ships were spotting to challenge to a 'fair' game of Davy Back Fight.

Another lazy day indeed.

Until someone in the crows nest started yelling.

"Captain, there's a raft portside! I can see someone inside!" He yelled gaining the attention of the crew.

Foxy stopped his jab mid punch and turned to look up at the crows nest following where his crew mate was pointing.

"A raft? Out here on the Grand Line? Does that fool have a death wish?" Foxy said to no one in particular as he walked over to the railing to get a look for himself. His fellow pirates joined him leaning over the ship trying to spot the mystery raft.

Holding out his hand a shipmate conveniently placed a monocular in it. Foxy pulling the monocular out to its full length held it up against his eye scanning on horizon for the raft.

It didn't take long to spot it. It was a simple wooden raft, no doubt a lifeboat of some kind. It was a miracle such a small raft could survive for so long out on the Grand Line.

But what really caught his attention was the single inhabitant of said raft.

It was a strange young man. The most noticeable feature was his spiky orange hair. His clothes seemed foreign even by pirate standards. Very loose black sleeves and pants with a white Ori tied around his waist.

The orange haired teen was too far away for any further observation so Foxy made a choice.

"Turn the ship, bring that raft portside!" He yelled as he heard a collective 'OOO' from his crew as they scrambled to their stations.

Porche walked up alongside her captain staring curiously at the raft on the horizon.

"What did you see Captain?" She asked tilted her head questionably.

"Ku Ku Ku Ku!" She heard her captain laugh. "We may of found a new crew mate!" He exclaimed getting a smile from Porche. Maybe a new crew member is what they needed for the crew after the recent defeat. Something to help distract themselves.

She was handed the monocular by her captain and she nodded in thanks.

She held the monocular to her eye spotting the orange haired teen in the boat, seemingly asleep. Nothing truly notable could be seen from they were standing but even from so far away, the strange man's age wasn't in question. She lowered the Monocular from her eye turning to talk to her captain.

"He seems quite young. Maybe his previous Pirate crew ditched him." She theorized. Her Captain refrained himself from commenting most likely waiting to see the young man for himself.

Hamburg, the tall man that he was finally made himself known by stopping next to Porche.

"New crew?" He said simply, gaining a nod from Porche. A big smile bloomed on Hamburg's face. It was always interesting whenever someone new joined the crew.

The ship tilted as it angled itself to sail directly next to the stranded wooden raft. A few moments passed as Foxy waited patiently for the ship to arrive.

The huge ship known as the Sexy Foxy dwarfed the small raft. The ship finally arrived next to the raft as Foxy started shouting orders around the ship getting nods and shouts from his crew.

A few crewmates holding on to ropes jumped into the ocean next to the raft. Foxy, Porche, and Hamburg watched their descent to the murky depths below.

A splash of water signaled they had hit the surface of the water. After surfacing they jumped onto the boat to see a strange sight.

A young teenager with spiky orange hair was unconscious with two very particular swords lying on each side to him. His clothes strange, but seeing no water or food on the boat, they deduced he most likely collapsed from dehydration. While the two weren't doctors of any sort, it was obvious that he was most likely ditched by his last pirate crew. Why that was they would learn in time.

The idea of a small raft on the Grand Line was downright insane borderlining insanity. Even the Sexy Foxy with its massive size wasn't immune to the danger lurking below the Grand Line. At any moment, if a sea king deemed them worthy of being its next meal, nothing could save them from ending up in the sea king's stomach.

The two pirates on the raft looked at each other and smiled devilishly at each other. _Jackpot! _They both thought. They would certainly gain some amount of praise from Foxy for this small haul.

After tying the raft to the side of the ship so the raft wouldn't drift away, a rope ladder tumbled and unwinded itself down the side of the ship onto the raft. The pirate gave a tug, placing a foot on the rope ladder making sure it was secure.

"Oooooi! We have a man down here! And he has two swords Captain!" One of the two pirates yelled. The captain in question leaned over the ship curiously and shouted back.

"Good job! Bring him up here with his weapons!" Foxy yelled getting two simultaneous 'OOO's from the pirates below.

Porche leaned over next to her captain to gaze down at the raft as well.

"A swordsman?" She asked Foxy.

"Ku Ku Ku! Who knows but from what I can see those two swords of his look very expensive and could fetch a fair price! Ku Ku Ku!" He laughed as he watched the two pirates holster the strange swords while carrying the orange haired teen on one of their backs.

It was awkward securing the swords to his body. Due to the size of the bigger sword, it took a few tries, and a few close calls after almost cutting himself and his fellow crew mate. After a few harsh words between the two pirates he was finally able to secure the swords onto himself somehow.

They made there way up the rope ladder as the rest of the crew seemed to gather around curiously as to what was going on. It seemed the entire crew was now watching wanting to see what was happening.

The first pirate carrying the swords finally made it up the ladder, showing to the crew what they had found. The second the swords were pulled over the edge of the ship collective gasps and low whistles could be heard at the reactions of the blades.

The swords in question were works of art. The more noticeable sword the larger one had a strange hole in the center of it. It seemed to gleam in the sun, the darkness of the blade seemingly absorbing all light touching it. Chills could be felt in the pirate crew as they stared longer at the sword, as if by merely looking at it was a sin.

It was a large sword in its own right, it wasn't too big compared to the sizes of the swords that some of the larger crew mates had, but for an averaged sized person who the swords likely belonged to, it was quite a feat.

The smaller of the swords seemed to be a small Khyber knife, it seemed fearsome in its own right, but overshadowed by its larger companion.

The grin held by Foxy couldn't be any bigger if he tried.

"Ku Ku Ku! Marvelous works of art! Bring these to the Armory below. You! Check our new friend and make sure he's alive." Foxy said pointing at the doctor of the crew.

The doctor nodded and motioned for the pirate carrying the orange haired teen to be placed on the ground. While not the best place to treat a patient, the faster you could treat someone the better chance of survival they would have.

Porche watched as the two pirates carried the two swords into the ship and disappeared inside.

"What will you do when he wakes up Captain?" Porche asked curiously. Gaining the attention of her Captain who grinned at her.

"Ask him to join our crew of course! The great Foxy always gets what he wants! New crew mates as well!" He yelled joyfully earning laughs from the crew around him.

"Until you lost to that Straw Hat." Someone from his crew yelled earning him nods of agreement.

Their captain had been utterly defeated by the Straw Hat, that much was the truth.

Foxy collapsed on his hands in despair.

"S-So harsh." He exclaimed getting looks of of pity from his crew. Porche patted his back apologetically.

They always knew that their Captain was quick to fall to insults. Especially ones about his appearance.

"Captain! He's breathing!" The doctor from earlier yelled getting Foxy's attention. Doing a complete 180 Foxy recovered in record time walking over to the doctor.

Now that he was closer he got a better look at the orange haired teen.

He was young that much was certain. Probably no older than 18.

His clothes foreign, there was strange armor in an X fashion across his chest with a red shoulder pad on his left shoulder and a white shoulder pad on his right shoulder. His clothes were very baggy, terrible for life on the ocean. The steady rise and fall of his stomach proved he was still alive.

Foxy stroked his chin contemplating what to do with the teen. It didn't take long for him to come up with his decision as he motioned for the doctor.

"Take him to the Sick Bay, notify me when he's awake." Foxy said gaining a nod from the doctor.

"You lot, help me put him on a stretcher, pronto!" The doctor gestured to a few pirates standing around. The pirates nodded vigorously moving to carry the orange haired teen.

The teen was gently placed on the stretcher as the pirates carrying the teen moved towards the end of the ship, the doctor yelled for the curious pirates to move out of the way as the teen in question was carried away disappearing into the back of the ship.

Porche watched the the orange haired enigma disappeared into the ship. There was something odd about him. His whole situation of being adrift on the Grand Line on a small raft itself was a rare occurrence. To state her curiosity she turned towards her captain.

"Shall I keep an eye on him Captain, in case he's dangerous?" Porche questioned her captain. Not that she believed that man was dangerous, she saw his face while he was asleep, he looked more akin to a sleeping child. But looks could be deceiving.

Foxy still stroking his chin nodded in the affirmative. "Make sure he doesn't try to attack anybody." That's all she needed to hear giving a nod and smile to her captain before disappearing into the ship herself.

Hamburg scratched his head tilting it slightly, he had expected something more exciting to happen, maybe when the weird swordsman woke up it would get interesting again.

"What now Captain?" Hamburg asked.

The grin held by their Captain could outshine the sun itself.

"We get stronger to beat those Straw Hats next time!" Foxy shouted earning a thunderous shout from his crew. Surely nothing would happen to the crew before the rematch between them and the Straw Hats.

_Right?_

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**Authors Notes**

**I personally find it very hard to write character interactions, no matter how much I try to imagine how two characters or more talk to each other It's just very hard for me to imagine. I really do hope to get better at this and I'm trying my best to make conversations more smooth in the future.**

**Please leave a review if you'd like. I did read everyone's PM's and reviews from last time and I've noted it all down. I'm just really terrible at replying to people's messages, I apologize. **

**I myself hate short chapters, but since the direction of the story was unclear last chapter I want to hear peoples opinions if this direction of the story is welcomed or not.**

**Ichigo won't be joining the Foxy crew (spoilers) he will have more of an impact in the story in the future. This is merely a step for him to be introduced into the One Piece world.**

**Until next time.**


	3. The Foxy Pirates

**Finally sat down and brainstormed much more about the story, and its direction I'm heading for. While I know updating quickly Isn't always the best of Ideas, I wanted to get this chapter out there for you guys to read.**

**The main problem I have is trying to balance out character interactions and level of detail I should explain in a scene, writing too much detail about what is happening, or writing too little detail. I'm trying my best to make a balance I'm comfortable with and I hope to Improve In time.**

**For now enjoy the chapter.**

**One Piece and Bleach belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 3**

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Porche made her way to the infirmary two floors below deck. She wasn't able to catch up with the pirates carrying the orange haired enigma, but the destination was the same, meaning there was no need to rush. But that didn't stop her from walking a little faster than usual.

She couldn't help it, she couldn't quite describe the feeling she had right now. But she felt that orange haired teen had more than just a few secrets that needed to be cracked open.

Arriving at the door she gently pushed it hoping not to catch any unsuspecting victims on the other side who might be in her way. Her eyes scanned the room looking for the doctor that had brought the teen here.

She spotted him disappearing into another door as she made to follow, nearly being knocked aside as more doctors on staff walked about. Nearly knocking another doctor over she apologized quickly earning herself a glare by said doctor.

Arriving at the door she opened it slowly to quickly step out of the way as the pirates who were carrying the teenager pushed themselves out of the door. This time they apologized quickly to almost knocking her over. She merely gestured that it wasn't a problem as the pirates nodded and made their way out of the infirmary.

She stepped inside to find the doctor from earlier holding a light to the teens eye, examining it closer. His brown orbs visible for the world to see.

"What's wrong with him doctor?" She asked. She couldn't for the life of her remember the doctor's name but hopefully that wouldn't be a problem. She could always catch it later.

The doctor in question let out a long exasperated sigh as he turned off the light in his hand to acknowledge Porche's presence.

"I just started the examination, if you could kindly sit down and wait for me to finish I can give you a full report." He said with a bit of venom in his voice that caught Porche off guard. Most of the crew members treated her with respect and love, the doctor must be a newer crew member.

_Maybe I shouldn't bother him while he's working._

"S-sorry." She stuttered as she rigidly walked to the side of the room sitting herself down to wait for the doctor to finish his work.

"Thank you." The doctor said giving a small smile as he turned his handheld light back on and continued to examine the young teens eye.

A few minutes passed as the doctor went through a thorough examination of the teen, checking for any noticeable wounds on his body, lack of muscle response, possible bruising, the whole nine yards.

Porche sat patiently watching the doctor go through every possible test that could be done. Even when the doctor did at one point check under the teens pants for one of the test, she turned her head to give the man his privacy.

A few more minutes passed as the doctor walked over to his desk in the room picking up a pen and clipboard as he started writing away on the paper. Porche watched quietly as the man was very concentrated with what he was writing.

"Thank you for waiting Porche." The doctor said as Porche nodded standing up to walk over to the doctor.

"Any idea what's wrong with him?" Porche asked earning a curious stare from the doctor as he looked at unconscious teen.

"While he has no physical wounds on his body, he might be suffering from dehydration. Possible lack of Vitamin C, maybe starvation." He listed off getting nods of understanding from Porche. "His physique seems to be in top shape meaning starvation is highly unlikely, most likely collapsing from exhaustion or dehydration." The doctor listed off as he walked over to the wall hanging up the clipboard.

"His strange armor on his chest made it hard to give a more in depth examination, but I believe it wasn't too much of an issue." He continued.

"We will just have to wait for his body to recover on its own and wait for him to wake up." The doctor made his way to leave the room as his work was done. He would get a nurse to be in charge of the teen in the meantime. "Now may I ask what you will be doing here?" The doctor asked waiting for a no nonsense reply. Porche could only sweatdrop slightly, she never knew doctor's could be so serious.

"Well the Captain gave me permission to keep an eye on him." She trailed off trying to avoid eye contact with the doctor, hoping not to anger him anymore than she had previously.

The doctor let out another loud exasperated sigh as he scratched his head. "Well If the captain says so, stay as long as you like. Keep an eye on him please. If he wakes up make sure to give him lots of water and food to help recover his energy." He said earning a lazy salute and big grin from Porche. The doctor rolled his eyes at the antics and walked out of the room closing the door behind him, leaving only Porche and the teen in the room.

She turned her gaze to the teen. She could lightly hear his breathing. The gentle rise and fall of his chest the only visible sign of movement on his form.

Now that she was closer to the teen her gaze traveled to the odd armor he was adorned in. It looked more ceremonial than it was for actual protection. She was no expert in the field of body armor, but it was so foreign she couldn't help but wonder.

Her curiosity began to get the best of her.

She gently placed a finger on the X shaped body armor on his chest. It felt cool to the touch. It wasn't quite metal, it looked more like bone than any other material she had seen before.

She sighed to herself. She looked at his face seeing no reaction from the close proximity of the two. His face passive, looking more akin to a sleeping child than a grown teen.

_What am I doing?_

She removed her finger from the intricate body armor and spun around on her foot walking to a chair. She plopped down in the cushioned seat taking one of the many books on the stand next to her and started to read, the book she picked was a fairy tale story about a prince falling in love with a mermaid. She wasn't a big fan.

She promised the captain she would keep an eye on the teen, but not dying of boredom was another thing entirely.

The ticking of the a cuckoo clock on the wall by the door was the only sound in the room, other than the occasional turning of a page. Why there was a cuckoo clock in a patient's room was beyond her, hopefully it didn't have that silly bird that popped out of it every hour.

Minutes turned to hours as she silently read the book, the prince in the book had apparently eaten a devil fruit and was unable to see the mermaid he loved because she lived under the sea. The book was starting to get more interesting.

She occasionally checked on the teen by looking up to see if he showed any signs of awakening. But the teen only slept as she huffed and continued her book.

She looked up at the clock in the room and noticed that a few hours had passed since she sat down. She sighed looking one more time at the orange haired teen who was still asleep. Her stomach growled, realizing she hadn't eaten dinner yet. Closing her book and placing it back where she found it, she slowly made her way to the door, casting one final glance towards the teen.

Getting no visible reaction she opened the door closing it gently behind her as she made her way to the mess hall to get dinner. Hopefully her subject of curiosity wouldn't wake up while she was gone.

* * *

The door closed shut as the unmoving form of Ichigo continued to lay motionless. A orange orb peaked open as it stared at the door making sure the door was truly shut and no one else was in the room.

A minute passed as nothing happened. No one new entered through the door as Ichigo gazed around the room without moving a muscle in his body. Letting out a sigh of relief he finally relaxed his body as he sat up. He had woken up an hour ago and was lucky enough he didn't make too much noise when he awoke, hurray for his dumb luck.

When realized that he had woken up somewhere foreign than the raft he had previously woken up on he had peaked an eye around the room spotting the strangely dressed blue hair girl sitting on the side of the room reading a book. Her jumpsuit very odd with her bra visible for the world to see. Ichigo tried his best to have no visible reaction. But he couldn't help the red dusting visible on his cheeks.

Not wanting to make a scene since he was under her watchful eye he continued to pretend to sleep. How he pulled that off until now was a mystery. Maybe she wasn't paying close attention to him.

He had no idea where the hell he was but he had a bad feeling in his stomach that wherever he had ended up was bad news. Call it a hunch but he always trusted his instincts.

He could tell he was on a bigger ship of some kind, again feeling the rise and fall sensation in my stomach he was quickly getting accustomed to.

He could feel his connection to Zangetsu coming from a room not too far away from where he was right now. Whoever these people were had most likely found him on the ocean and separated him from his Zanpakuto. While he wasn't too happy that Zangetsu was taken away from him momentarily, he was thankful for whoever these people on the boat were that they probably saved his life.

What surprised Ichigo the most was that he was saved from a possible waterlogged death in the ocean meaning that he could be _seen._ Wherever he was the people here could see his spirit form. Was he in another form of the afterlife? Would that mean there's a giant ocean in this world's heaven?

_Like hell there is._

Gazing around the room in more detail now that his movements weren't so limited he couldn't help be feel that he possibly traveled back in time. Wooden walls and a tiled floor, the whole room just screamed 'OLD'. It almost reminded him of Soul Society.

Shaking his head he reached into his Haori feeling for the letter he received from Urahara, making sure it wasn't taken from him while he was napping.

Feeling the paper still tucked away he let out a sigh of relief, he wouldn't know what he would do if he lost it. The only thing he had left of his world other than the clothes on his back.

Noticing how parched his throat was he turned to the tableside noticing a pitcher of water. He said a silent thank you to whoever had left the water for him, gulping the pitcher of water down greedily.

The cool water disappeared completely down his throat as he set down the pitcher.

He looked down as his hand testing his grip. He hadn't recovered nearly as much Reiatsu as he thought he would have by now. Hopefully it would return in time. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

Ichigo swung his legs over the edge of the bed and was about to stand up before a sudden thought occurred to him.

_What am I going to do now?_

He had no idea where he was, or what he was going to do. He was thrown into this world with no knowledge of what was going on or what was happening.

Previous events of the fall of Soul Society still plagued his mind as his scowl etched itself onto his face.

_Should I disappear now? Try Flash Stepping to land? No that would be stupid, I have no idea how far out I am in the ocean or where the closest body of land is. I don't even know if my Reiatsu would hold up for such a long trip._

He crossed his arms and he scrunched up his face in thought. Tilting around in circles trying to decide what to do. He aggressively scratched his head trying to come up with any ideas.

This wasn't like his bullheaded decisions where he could just storm into the situation and ask for answers.

His hands stopped assaulting his hair. A few moments passed as he let that settle in.

_Couldn't I?_

Even with his lack of Reiatsu at the moment he was more than confident he could defend himself. Maybe he could just knock some heads and get some answers, it always worked in the past.

Most of the time anyway.

"I should find out where the hell am I first." Ichigo said out loud before he placed a hand over his mouth closing it, cursing slightly. He had forgotten he was trying to keep a low profile. His gaze bored into the door waiting for anything to happen.

A few moments passed as Ichigo let out another sigh of relief.

_I almost blew my cover damnit!_

Getting up on his feet he tiptoed over to the door gently placing his ear against the frame. Listening for any voices that could be heard. Hearing nothing he gently pushed open the door hoping the damn thing wouldn't make any noise. A silent creaking sound came from the door causing that plan to crash and burn earning a scowl from said orange haired teen.

He peeked outside looking around the room not seeing anybody. He noticed a front desk of sorts in the room, most likely the front of the infirmary. There wasn't a soul in sight.

_Was it late or something?_

The clock in the room didn't catch his attention.

He contemplated leaving the room, what did he hope to accomplish by leaving? He could just stay in bed and wait for that blue haired girl to return. He stopped that train of thought when he had a strange feeling about this ship. He couldn't feel any signatures of Reiatsu, but something else foreign tickled his senses. How the hell people could see him without possessing any Reiatsu was beyond his knowledge.

He would figure out the details later.

Right now he had no idea what the layout of the ship was or who the hell was even on it.

The rumbling of his stomach surprised him as he quickly closed the door hoping no one heard him.

_Damnit, why now._

He could only curse himself silently as he waited yet again to see if anymore heard him. Yoruichi would be laughing up at storm at his terrible sneaking skills, he could just imagine her teasing smirk at his own stupidity.

Moments passed as he let out another sigh or relief. No one came again. Either he had dumb luck, or he was unlucky.

Probably both.

Now that he thought about it, the last time he ate was when him and Renji stuffed their faces full of food at the Gaton Palace.

And that felt like an eternity ago. So much had happened since then.

Maybe he could get food without drawing too much attention to himself? Like hell that would work, he'd stick out with his full head of orange hair, and he was sure no one else was dressed like him either. Since he was asleep when he was rescued at sea, he didn't know if anyone would recognize his face.

His stomach growled again as he made up his mind.

_To hell with it I'm starving!_

He had no idea how long it would take for the blue haired girl to return and if she would return with food or not. While he wasn't under a watchful eye of any sorts, seeing as no one was guarding the room, they were probably underestimating his abilities.

With his new found goal in place he opened the door as he tiptoed as quietly as he could through the door closing it behind him.

He'd simply get food quickly and return back to his bed.

Just as the door clicked he turned around coming face to face with….something.

_What the hell!?_

Ichigo was dumbstruck by what he was looking at. It looked like a man with a fish head. The thing was tall, much taller than Ichigo himself as he had to crane his neck upwards just to see the top of the thing.

The fish man looked like a cross breed between a human and a shark. It even wore clothes! He was speechless, not even the Arrancars were this odd looking, even Grimmjow with his catlike features wasn't on this end of the spectrum.

The….thing in return stared back at the teen, both looking at each in mute shock. A few moments passed as neither one made any movement. The fish man seemed to notice what the orange haired teen was trying to accomplish, sneaking out of his room.

Ichigo felt his hand twitch as the thing opened up its mouth.

"Doctor he's awak-!" The fish man started to yell and was swiftly cut off by the panicked mindset of the orange haired teen. Against all normal logic Ichigo launched an uppercut as his fist crashed into the fish man's giant jaw sending him airborne momentarily before crashing onto the floor with a loud THUD falling into the world of unconsciousness.

A moment passed as Ichigo felt the sudden rush of adrenaline leave his body.

The fish man's eyes were comically rolled to the back of his head as his mouth hung open.

He stared at his fist and then the fish thing before his mind caught up with his body.

_T-This is bad!_

He didn't mean to knock out the creepy looking fish guy, but he was just so shocked at its appearance he felt like he wanted to hit it.

He was surprised the thing spoke, it caught him off guard.

He was so used to beating up punks that his first reaction was to punch the thing.

Ichigo looked around making sure no one heard him, quickly deciding to drag the body somewhere it couldn't be seen.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he proceeded to drag the fish guy person.

_This fish freak weighs a freaking ton!_

Ichigo opened the door to his own room by awkwardly twisting the door handle with his foot and pushing the door open. Dragging the unconscious fish guy across the ground, with a grunt of effort he placed him on to the bed he was occupying recently.

Now that he was alone with the….fish guy, that's what he would call him, he now had a better look at him.

He had the head of a shark, his sharp teeth visible with his mouth hanging open, he wore human clothes, but the clothes were an off match of colors. He also had a strange mask across his face, the reason for that Ichigo was unsure. If Ichigo could best describe it, it looked like the shark guy was wearing clothes of pirates or something.

Ichigo's palm slammed into his face at the absurdity of the situation.

_Great, now I've ended up on the ship of some kind of fish people group. Fish man pirates….._

He let out a groan of frustration, was this entire world some kind of aquatic world inhabited by fish people? Wait no, he had seen the girl who was watching over him earlier and she looked normal.

Maybe humans like himself were rare? Or maybe fish people lived in harmony with humans.

His stomach growled again as he he let out a grunt of dissatisfaction. Satisfying his stomach was the first priority. Everything else was secondary.

Hopefully the food wasn't too alien like and made specifically for fish people. He could only hope.

Casting one final look at the unconscious fish guy, he opened and closed the door as he made his way towards what looked like the door out of the infirmary.

He didn't catch exactly where the fish guy appeared from, but he'd take his chances.

_I won't make any progress staying around here. And who knows how the other fish freaks will act since I beat up their buddy._

Now that wasn't a good thought. The first guy he met on the ship and he knocked him out cold.

As he reached for the door handle the door knob on the other side turned as Ichigo eyes widened. The door pushed open as Ichigo disappeared in a quick sloppy flash step.

The doctor who entered through the door curiously gazed around the infirmary. He was sure that a loud sound came from this room while he was busy elsewhere. He guessed someone must have fallen while trying to walk, but there was no one around.

His posture straightened as he realized his patient could have possibly gotten out of bed and collapsed onto the floor.

Wanting to waste no time he hurriedly walked to his patients room and swung the door open.

Instead of being greeted to the sight of spiky orange hair, another member of the crew had taken the orange haired teens place.

His mouth hung open in disbelief. The doctor was new to the crew and he didn't recognize who was on the bed.

He didn't get the wrong room did he? No, he was certain it was this room.

_Was the orange haired teen moved without my permission by another doctor?_

He looked to the wall spotting his clipboard from earlier, reaching out and grabbing it. Scanning it's contents quickly he confirmed this was the orange haired teens room, his notes on the clipboard confirming it from earlier.

He spun around on his foot as he made his way out of the room to get to the bottom of this small mystery.

Not before a fist crashed into his face sending him cartwheeling through the air crashing into the bed frame, entering the world of unconsciousness.

Ichigo looked at his outstretched fist as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

_I-I did it again!_

He had hidden himself above the door, creating a small platform of Reiatsu to stand on as he watched doctor enter the room.

Praying silently that the doctor would either leave or enter another room, his hopes sank as he watched him open the door to the room he had awoken in.

Panicking slightly he dropped quietly on to the floor as he tiptoed to the door not making a sound. The doctor in turn spun around coming face to chest with the orange haired teen.

The slight widening of the eyes was the only outward reaction from the doctor before Ichigo punched the man straight in the face.

He couldn't help himself, he had no way of explaining the new occupant of his bed. A quick takedown was necessary.

Now that Ichigo looked at the scene, the unconscious fish guy on the bed, the doctor sprawled across the floor, he certainly wasn't making friends by beating the crap out of the people who had saved his life.

_Did I just knock out the doctor that was taking care of me?_

Feeling slightly more guilty at the realization he picked up the doctor making sure nothing notable was broken, placing him upright on one of the chairs of the room, sending a wordless apology for knocking him out.

_Do I plan on knocking out everybody on this damn ship!?_

Ichigo couldn't help but think, this whole situation being foreign to him. He had in the past woken up after combat to foreign situations surrounding him, but this certainly took the prize as the most absurd.

_I should leave._

He'd try to explain it was in self defense if the blue haired lady returned to the scene and came to question him about it.

Leaving his room for what felt like the thousandth time today he finally left through the door the doctor came from. Peeking into the hallway seeing no one around he made his way deeper into the ship.

* * *

Porche smile beamed as she made her way back from the mess hall. The food was always the best on the ship, seeing as their Captain had acquired some of the best chefs on the Grand Line.

Her smile infectious as her crew members who passed her in the hall couldn't help but feel their moods lifted seeing one of the most loved crew members so happy.

Entering through the door into the infirmary she noticed how oddly quiet the place was. The doctors weren't bustling around and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Having a foreboding feeling she made her way to the orange haired teens room and slowly opened the door hoping not to wake the sleeping teen. With the door now open her jaw slightly fell seeing the orange haired teen was gone, and another crew member had taken his place. Her gaze travelled to the sleeping doctor leaning against the wall in the chair she was sitting in prior.

"What happened here?" She asked not getting a response. She didn't expect one seeing the situation up close. She walked over to the doctor and and shook him a few times, hoping to wake him.

_Was the doctor sleeping on the job? _

The thought was pushed aside as she noticed the visible bruising and slightly bloody nose on the face of the doctor. She could tell he was fine aside from the slightly warped face.

"Did that orange haired teen do this?" She whispered to herself. She didn't expect such a violent response from the teen when he woke up.

_Maybe they spooked him when he woke up?_

Self defense? It didn't matter, someone had hurt her crew mates and she wasn't about to let that slide. She gripped the baton on her back as a fire burned brightly in her eyes.

She would find that orange haired kid and give her a piece of her mind.

* * *

Ichigo was lost. He had been sneaking around the ship, using quick flash steps to not be seen by the crew. After seeing a few more members of the ship he watched them from the dark corners of the hallways. He concluded that most of the crew were human, the fish people were the rare ones.

His stomach growled again as a pirate who had a ridiculous hairstyle stopped in his tracks and turned towards the corner he had heard the strange sound come from. Seeing nothing he continued on his way. Ichigo let out another sigh as he stepped down from his placement on the ceiling.

Ichigo noted each person on the ship had the same strange mask on their face.

Watching the pirate disappear around the corner Ichigo scowl etched itself deeper on his brow. It seemed his sneaking skills weren't necessarily terrible, but certainly lacking a certain purple haired goddesses charm.

Peeking around another corner Ichigo spotted a big sign over top one of the rooms.

**Mess hall**

Ichigo sweatdropped slightly at the clear English written above the door. Was it so odd that another dimension just so happened to use English? Wait, he had clearly heard that fish guy from earlier speak Japanese before he knocked him out.

_Just what kind of place is this!?_

Ichigo was about to turn around the corner when he felt something hit the wooden wall next to him. He turned his head curiously seeing a rose embedded itself into the wall defying all logic.

Reaching out and freeing the rose, a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead slightly seeing the long needle on the opposite end.

Turning around trying to deduce where the rose came from he awkwardly twisted his body as four more roses tried to skewer him. Dodging them at the awkward angle, each rose embedded itself into the wall behind him.

"What the hell!" He yelled turning his head seeing the blue haired girl who he recognized was watching him while he was in bed walking towards him down the hall he had come from.

She held a strange pink baton in her hand. Now that he had a more clear look, she was skinny, very skinny, like impossibly skinny that Ichigo was a little worried about her health with how skinny her waist was.

She wore a jumpsuit with baggy pants, a jacket was tied around her waist. Her bra was visible with the zipper on his jumpsuit exposing her chest. She also had the same mask donned on her face. Ichigo guessed she was the one who threw the rose needles at him.

"You! What do you think your doing?!" He heard her yell as he groaned in irritation. This couldn't be good. Was she looking for a fight?

"I should ask you that! Are you trying to kill me!?" Ichigo retorted back. While he was certain these needles couldn't hurt him, it was still an annoyance at most.

"I went to go check up on you and all I found were my unconscious crew mates! You attacked them! After we had saved your life to a terrible fate at sea, you hurt the very people who saved you!" She stopped halfway down the hall and dramatically pointed a finger at Ichigo who sweatdropped slightly. Wait did the hallway lights go out? And why was there a spotlight on her form?

Ignoring the odd imagery Ichigo understood what she meant. They had taken him onboard the ship when they didn't have any reason to, they could have left him at sea.

"And your first instinct was to attack me!? Nevermind, I'm sorry alright! The fish guy surprised me when I was trying to leave the room." Ichigo tried to defend himself earning a blank stare from the blue haired girl.

"And the doctor?" She questioned, her baton still held in her hand ready to attack.

"A-after placing the fish guy on the bed, he walked in and surprised me as well." Ichigo trailed off feeling more and more guilty.

"Are you an idiot? Who knocks out people just because you got a little surprised?" She couldn't help but comment.

_Such a violent personality. But he's not attacking me so he can't be that bad._

Ichigo relaxed his body crossing his arms in irritation.

"I'm not an idiot! I woke up and got out of bed to get some food, but the fish guy started to yell for some reason so I knocked him out." Ichigo retorted as he watched the blue haired lady stare at him questionably.

"You knocked him out because he was yelling?" She couldn't help but ask at the odd reasoning.

"Look I'm sorry alright." Ichigo tried again to convince her.

She strapped the baton she was holding to her back and walked over to orange haired teen.

Ichigo confused by her actions waited for her to act again.

"I'm Porche." She said with a wink placing her hands on her hips.

"Why are you introducing yourself after attacking me!" Ichigo yelled as he felt a headache coming.

Now that he thought about it, his friends in Soul Society, he had met them first by fighting them. They would later become close allies in the future. He guessed it wasn't that strange. By his standards at least.

Seeing the now named Porche impatiently tapping her foot she ignored Ichigo's previous retort, Ichigo hurriedly introduced himself as well.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Sorry for knocking out your friends." He apologized scratching his cheek as he held out his other hand.

Porche reached out her hand as well and they both gave each other a firm handshake.

"Strange name." She said earning a scowl from the teenager.

"I could say the same thing to you." Ichigo replied.

Breaking off the handshake Ichigo noticed her smirk turn into a frown.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm angry at you for attacking my crew mates, but we took you into this crew because of the Captain's orders. I do believe you that you were 'surprised' when you woke up, but remember no one here is trying to hurt you." She stated making sure Ichigo was listening, he dumbly nodded following her words.

"The doctor said you might be exhausted but you look full of energy to me." Porche said walking past Ichigo earning a raised eyebrow in response.

"Captain?" Ichigo asked hoping to get a more in depth explanation.

"He's Foxy The Silver Fox!" She said dramatically hoping the teen would recognize the name of her captain.

Noticing no reaction from the teen she continued.

"He has a 24,000,000 Berri bounty." She pushed, but received no reaction, only a blank stare.

"Captain of the famous Sexy Foxy?" She half stated, half asked hoping for at least a tiny amount of recognition.

"What the hell kind of name is that?" Ichigo asked earning a look of defeat from Porche.

"So the Captain's fame hasn't reached far, he won't be too happy about that." She said to herself earning a scowl from Ichigo.

Ichigo felt something click in his head coming to a conclusion.

"You guys are pirates." He stated matter of factly, causing Porche to almost facefault.

"Did you just realize that!?" Porche yelled at the clueless teen.

"Sorry alright, I've never met pirates before." His scowl if possible etched itself deeper on his face.

"Never met pirates? Are you a Marine?" He certainly didn't look like a Marine, but everyone had their own style so it wasn't too far fetched.

"Marine? Like the Navy?" He asked confusing Porche.

"Do you have amnesia?" She asked causing Ichigo to frown.

"Like hell I do." He retorted, gaining a slight narrowing of the eyes from Porche.

"Well, do you know where you are?" She questioned further.

Ichigo titled his head at the question as his scowl lessened.

"On a ship?" He said matter of factly as Porche rolled her eyes.

"Not that, where we are right now in the world." She elaborated.

"The ocean?" Ichigo said as Porche palmed her face.

"You have no idea where you are, do you?" She said looking into the teens eyes as he avoided eye contact.

"I may be a bit lost." He admitted as Porche let out a long drawn out sigh.

_What am I going to do with this idiot?_

Maybe talking over a meal would be better, so she could figure out more about him. Nodding to herself she walked towards the mess hall.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked noticing she was leaving.

"The Captain told me to keep an eye on you, so that includes taking care of you as well. You're hungry right?" Porche concluded with a slight smirk.

Ichigo was about to retort saying he was fine, but stopped when his stomach conveniently made itself known by growling loudly. A blush worked its way onto his face as Porche giggled lightly.

"Come on, let's get you some dinner." She said walking into the mess hall as Ichigo grumbled following behind her.

Ichigo had a sudden thought that he could have stayed in his bed and avoided this whole drawn out nonsense.

_That's the last time I ever do something so stupid._

Entering the mess hall Ichigo almost tripped on himself as he noticed how large the room was. There were multiple food stands each with different kinds of foods.

It looked more like a festival than a pirate ships cafeteria. It wasn't too crowded as it was past normal dinner hours, most pirates had gone to bed.

Following Porche towards one of the stands he received more than a few stares from the pirates he passed. His scowl hardened as he looked at the pirates who in turn turned back quickly to their own meals.

"What would you like to eat?" She asked as Ichigo turned and looked at the menu on the signs above the stand. The signs were in perfect english too. Ichigo finally felt his grades in english didn't go to waste.

He almost felt his jaw drop at the similarities of the foods, the food wasn't foreign at all! Hell he knew what everything on the menu was.

Noticing he was getting a strange stare by Porche he decided on his order.

"I'll take the pasta." Ichigo finally said. The chef in front of him didn't have any outstanding features expect for the comically large chef hat on top of his head.

"Coming right up!" The chef said as he worked his hands cracking a few eggs and getting his ingredients ready.

Ichigo losing interest in the preparation of the meal turned to Porche who was staring at him curiously.

"What is it?" Ichigo was taken a little off guard by the intense stare directed his way.

"I was just wondering about that armor." Porche said pointing at the intricate armor adorned across his chest.

Ichigo looked down completely forgetting about it, he was so used to his usual shinigami clothes and his special haori he wore whenever he went Bankai that it didn't cross his mind.

"What about it?" Ichigo looked up to Porche's face as she frowned.

"Why does it look like that?" She elaborated earning a questions gaze from Ichigo.

"It was a gift from some friends who helped me in the past." Ichigo said as the bittersweet memory surfaced. Porche noticing the look on Ichigo's face hoped she could change the direction of the conversation.

"I forgot to mention, we took your swords we found next to you when we hauled you onto the ship and the Captain had them placed in the Armory. I'll ask him later if you can have them." She finished the explanation with a smile.

"O-Ohh thank you." Ichigo stuttered, he didn't want to mention he knew exactly where his Zanpakuto's were and was planning to retrieve them himself later. He was glad he didn't have to explain how he found his Zanpakuto's on his own in a ship he was unfamiliar with. He would have no explanation for that.

A moment passed as the quiet humming and sounds of Ichigo's meal being prepared could be heard. Ichigo noticed he was still getting stares from the pirate crew, most likely taking interest in him as he was an oddity.

"Here you go! Pastas ready!" He heard the chef say. Turning around to the stand he noticed the large bowl of pasta with steam rising from it.

"Thank you. Do I have to pay for this?" Ichigo asked pointing to the bowl.

"Foods free on the ship." The chef started his explanation. "Aren't you the guy we found on the boat earlier today?" The chef asked with a raised eyebrow. While the chef didn't get a close look at the teen because he was so far behind the crowd, it was unmistakable to forget the teens most noticeable feature. His full head of orange hair.

"You just noticed now?" Ichigo retorted losing interest in the conversation as the chef shrugged his shoulders and went about to closing up his shop.

Ichigo followed Porche who directed him towards a table as they both sat down. He noticed that she didn't have anything to eat.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked as she merely waved it off.

"I ate dinner earlier." She said.

"Ohh, so that's why you left the room." Ichigo said more to himself than her, but she overheard the sentence and narrowed her eyes on the teen.

"How would you know I was in your room? Unless, you were awake." She narrowed her eyes on Ichigo who wished he had just left his mouth shut.

"No offense, but I woke up earlier and I didn't know if I could trust you guys, so I continued to pretend to sleep after I noticed you were in the room." Ichigo said earning a nod of understanding from Porche.

"Than why are you trusting us now?" She asked as Ichigo turned towards her, she flinched slightly seeing the intense stare in his gaze.

"The same reason you stopped attacking me, a hunch. You guys don't seem like bad people. For a pirates at least." Ichigo said even though he had no idea what the standards were of Pirates in this world.

Porche couldn't help the smile that made its way on her face as Ichigo blushed slightly. To Ichigo, Porche wasn't as pretty as some of the women he had met in his adventures, but he couldn't help but blush at her smile.

"That's good, it will make it much easier if you trust us when you join the crew." She stated earning a questioning gaze from Ichigo.

"Who said I would be joining your crew?" Ichigo said earning a giggle from Porche confusing him further. Ichigo didn't recall any previous conversations about joining the pirate crew.

"You see, the Captain's got his eyes on you. Once he has his eyes on something he always gets what he wants. New crew members Included." She finished with a wink as Ichigo tried to understand what that meant exactly.

"What makes you think your Captain can make me join his crew?" He asked as Porche leaned back in her seat looking at the ceiling.

She was about to answer but noticed the teenager wasn't eating his food.

"You should eat that before it gets cold." She pointed to his bowl.

Ichigo blinked looking down at his food completely forgetting about it, and started to dig into his meal.

"And as for the Captain, he has his ways of getting new crew members." She said with a smirk.

"Sounds suspicious." Ichigo pointed out with a mouthful of noodles.

"You'll just have to wait and see, don't want to spoil the surprise." Her smirk still held firmly on her face.

"Now that's really suspicious." He said this time not taking his eyes off his food.

A few minutes passed as Porche stopped questioning Ichigo as he continued to eat his dinner, thankful for the peace and quiet. Now if only he didn't have the entire cafeteria staring at him he could relax more.

Porche yawned slightly as her eyes traveled to the front of the mess hall spotting a certain long nosed individual who just walked through the doors.

"Speaking of our Captain, here he comes." Porche pointed out as Ichigo followed her gaze as his eyes laid onto who he assumed was the captain.

He was about average height, shorter than Ichigo was himself. He wore yellow suspenders with his chest visible for the world to see. He had no shirt on, his most noticeable feature was his long nose and chin.

"Fueh Fueh Fueh! I see you're finally awake." The captain said earning a dumb nod from Ichigo.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

The captain in question striked a strange pose pointing his finger into the air.

"I am the great Foxy the Silver Fox! I always get what I want!" The now named Foxy exclaimed as Porche somehow ended up behind her captain also striking a dramatic pose. Ichigo felt his eye twitch slightly.

The other pirates who were still in the mess hall starting clapping at the introduction of their captain, even a few of them cheering.

"Now tell me your name!" Foxy demanded pointing dramatically at the teen. Ichigo blinked a few times just to make sure he was actually awake and not in some kind of weird fever dream.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, Porche mentioned you a few times." Ichigo introduced himself with a slight bow. Foxy's grin grew as he looked at Porche.

"Did she now? Probably talking about how great the crew is! Fueh fueh fueh!" Foxy laughed as Ichigo couldn't help but cringe slightly at the odd laugh.

"Now tell me, will you be joining my crew?" Foxy said as a gleam in his eye that wasn't there a second ago that caught Ichigo's attention.

Ichigo, now that his meal was finished, stood up and bowed slightly to the Captain who stared curiously at the teen. Porche could only smirk and wait for the events that would unfold.

"I'm thankful for you saving my life, but I'm not pirate material." Ichigo said earning a hardy laugh from Foxy.

Ichigo knew he was a fighter, but if pirates in this universe were the same as they were in his universe, he definitely was not in any way a pirate.

"You forget that I always get what I want. Fueh Fueh Fueh Fueh!" He laughed.

"I'll make you join my crew." Foxys grin now could put the devil to shame.

Ichigo held his own challenging smirk as he crossed his arms.

"And just how do you plan to make me?" Ichigo said in a challenging tone. He was more than confident in himself he could take anything Foxy would throw his way.

Foxy couldn't help but laugh at the stubbornness of the orange haired teen. Even Porche couldn't help but giggle as well.

"With a game of Davy Back Fight of course!" Foxy exclaimed earning cheers from the pirates who were waiting for this moment.

Foxy gazed around at his crew, happy that everyone was in such in high spirits as he turned back to the teen. His grin faltered as he noticed Ichigo had his head titled slightly, confusion plain on his face.

"What the hell is that?"

A few of the pirates could only face fault at the response, they expected a cooler response. Porche stepped forward to explain.

"It's a game where two Captain's who agree to the terms fight each other by putting members of their crew on the line. With each battle the winning Captain gets to choose a member from the losing Captain's team for their own crew." Porche explained as Ichigo stared wide eyed at Foxy.

"What the hell kind of game is that!? And wait, a fight between two Captains? I'm not a Captain at all!" Ichigo denied as Foxy couldn't help but grin at his devious idea.

"Oooo but you are a Captain! You see we found you on a ship, since you were the only person on the boat, that would make you the captain!" Foxy could help but laugh at his own genius logic. There were no flaws with his reasoning.

Ichigo could only stare with his jaw dropped at the ridiculous statement. Even the pirates watching weren't following their Captain's logic.

"Like hell that makes me a Captain!" Ichigo's signature scowl made it's way on his face as he glared at Foxy. "I was alone on that raft, I have no crew members!" Ichigo tried to explain his logic to Foxy whose grin only expanded.

"Than it's simple, if you lose, you would join our crew. If I somehow would lose you'd be able to pick a crew member of your own for your ship. Unless, you are chicken and are running away from the fight?" Foxy taunted with a wide grin as Ichigo perked up to his words.

"I'd never run from a fight!" Ichigo exclaimed as he realized what he just said as Foxys grin if possible got even wider.

_Hook, line, and sinker. Got him._

"Than it's settled, we'll have our fight tomorrow. Porche, please escort our soon to be crew mate back to his room." Foxy said earning a salute from Porche.

Ichigo palmed his face realizing he had been so easily duped into the fight. Not that he was afraid he would lose, he was more than confident, no matter what tricks Foxy had up his sleeve. It was more of a pain than anything.

Porche walked up to Ichigo with a clear smirk across her face.

"Didn't I say, he always gets what he wants." Porche finished with a giggle as Ichigo palmed his face again.

"You're enjoying watching me suffer, aren't you?" He pointed an accusing finger at her as she feigned shock.

"I wonder what gave it away." She trailed off innocently.

Ichigo let out a groan as he realized he'd have a fight tomorrow for his freedom. He couldn't help but smirk slightly as Porche watched his reaction.

There's no way in hell he'd lose.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**I'm happy with how this chapter came out. I was able to write down most of my idea's, come up with new ones, and express myself a bit more. Now I know my writing isn't perfect and I hope to get better but please leave any reviews with constructive criticism to help me figure out what I can do to write better.**

**I'm terrible at character interactions right now, and I feel Ichigo and Porches first meeting didn't feel like it had true feeling to it no matter how many times I rewrote the scene. Bear with it for now.**

**I do also feel my vocabulary is very limited, since I feel I use the same words over and over again.**

**If there's any spelling mistakes I didn't catch, please let me know.**

**Next chapter. Foxy vs Ichigo.**

**Until next time.**


	4. Foxy vs Ichigo!

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it and hope it gets some good reactions.**

**One Piece and Bleach both belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

After the confrontation with the Captain known as Foxy, Ichigo followed Porche in the halls as she led him back to his bed in the infirmary.

Many thoughts were plaguing the orange haired teens mind. Mainly what the hell a Davy Back Fight even was. Porche's earlier explanation didn't entail about the fights in detail.

While he didn't expect the Captain of a group of pirates to be so devious and annoying, it wasn't the image he had in mind when he thought of a pirate Captain.

Ichigo still confused from previous events with his meeting of Foxy, he questioned Porche hoping to get a better understanding of the Captain.

"How does a Davy Back Fight even work?" He asked breaking the silence in the hallway.

Perking up Porche turned around to indulge the orange haired teens curiosity.

"Usually there's three events that are held, but since it's only you and the Captain, I guess it will be a one on one fight." She said holding her hand to her chin in thought. She didn't exactly know how her Captain planned to have the fight, but she was looking forward to it. "We've gotten most of our crew members from Davy Back Fights." She stated matter of factly earning a shocked look from Ichigo.

"Wait! That's normal for you guys!? I thought this was a rare event!" Ichigo yelled half shocked as Porche tilted her head slightly confused.

"It's always been that way with Foxy, like he said himself, he gets what he wants." Porche said with a smirk as Ichigo gritted his teeth slightly hearing those damn words again.

"Yeah yeah 'he gets what he wants'." He gestured with air quotations. "I get it. I just don't understand how. No offense but he just doesn't look that strong." Ichigo gestured for Porche to continue her explanation. Porche couldn't help but giggle.

"That's the usual reaction he gets, but don't underestimate him. He won 920 Davy Back Fights in a row, with the help of his crew of course." She said with pride closing her eyes and placing her hands on her hips.

Ichigo's jaw dropped slightly at the ridiculously high number. That idiot winning 920 fights!? In a row!? Now he was really curious just what kind of powers Foxy was hiding.

Porche smiled seeing Ichigo's reaction, glad that he finally understood her Captain wasn't someone to mess with.

"T-that guy won 920 fights!?" Ichigo yelled trying to think of a coherent sentence.

"Well until recently." She started as she turned back around with her back facing Ichigo who perked up, catching his attention. "A new pirate to the world by the name of Monkey D. Luffy beat him a few days ago, ending his streak." Ichigo tried to recognize the name, but due to his circumstances of his arrival, knew nothing of anybody in the world. Hell he hadn't even seen a map yet. He'd figure that out later.

"Was this Luffy guy strong?" Ichigo asked, Imaging a really buff man pounding Foxy's head into the ground.

Porsche put her finger up to her chin in thought.

"It was a close fight. I had never seen the Captain lose before." She started. "The Straw Hat was strong, strong enough to beat Foxy." She concluded not wanting to go into the details about how Foxy lost. Ichigo felt he was left with more questions than answers.

While Porche had enjoyed her conversations with Ichigo, she didn't want to give him an upper advantage over her Captain. She would never say it out loud, but she hoped Ichigo would lose his fight against Foxy so he could stay with the crew.

She barely was scratching the surface of their interactions with one another, but she felt Ichigo was a stranger. His odd name and odd clothes only helped prove her small theory.

"Straw Hat?" Ichigo questioned. Porche turned back around to stare at Ichigo this time with wide eyes.

"Luffy wears a straw hat and is the Captain of the Straw Hat pirates. You seriously don't know anything do you?" She teased with a slight smirk. Ichigo in turn looked away with a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"Shut up! When I said I was lost, I was serious you know." He pointed out, mentally noting down the information of the Straw Hat to memory.

"Being lost and not knowing about the world are two separate things. Are you sure you don't have amnesia?" She questioned again earning a scowl from Ichigo as he crossed his arms.

"I don't have amnesia. Look I'm fine alright? I'm just not from around here." Ichigo couldn't help frown as his gaze traveled away from Porche's form as he remembered the letter Urahara had left him.

Porche noticed his mood change. His brown orbs seemed to convey emotions well beyond his teens years. She wasn't a professional at reading emotions by any means, but the look the teen had was something she had only seen on people much older.

She finally came to the conclusion that Ichigo was different. He wasn't like the other pirates or Marines her crew encountered on the Grand Line. He was a bit rude, but he was thankful that his life was saved when he introduced himself to the Captain. He seemed like an honest guy, incapable of lying even if he wanted to.

When she had heard him say to her Captain that he wasn't pirate material she believed him. He didn't have the aura most pirates had.

She could tell he had more than a few secrets he wasn't willing to share. Hopefully she could help crack him out of the shell he seemed to have put up around himself.

Porche smiled as Ichigo stopped his reminiscing staring at her big grin.

"Let's continue our talk later, we need to get you into bed so you can be fully rested for your fight tomorrow." She spun on her heel and continued her trek to the infirmary as Ichigo nodded not too sure what to say, following behind her steps.

Ichigo didn't know what had made the girl so happy but it was a nice change of pace.

A minute passed as they both walked in silence until they arrived at the front door of the infirmary.

"I hope I didn't hit those guys too hard." Ichigo said referring to the fish man and doctor he had knocked out earlier. Porche couldn't help but agree.

Porche opened the door to the sight of the doctor Ichigo had knocked out earlier standing out front of Ichigo's room holding a clipboard, tapping his foot impatiently as if waiting for somebody. He was sporting a comically large bandage wrapped around his his face going across his nose.

As Ichigo and Porche both stepped into the room they caught the doctors attention who in turn frowned at the sight of Ichigo. Ichigo gulped involuntarily as the doctor walked right past Porche and stood right in front of Ichigo. He gazed into the teens eyes as if trying to figure out something from him.

The moment passed as the doctor went about curiously walking around Ichigo checking parts of his body nodding to himself and writing on his clipboard. Ichigo's eye twitched at the odd behavior, he expected the doctor to yell at him or maybe even attack him. Not give him a physical.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo couldn't help but say at the doctor checking up on him. Porche giggling at the antics of said orange haired teen.

The doctor stood up straight simply waving off Ichigo's words.

"I'm finishing my check up on you." He stated matter of factly as Ichigo felt like palming his face at the reply.

"Not that! Aren't you mad at me? I'm the one who knocked you out you know." Ichigo said pointing at himself as the doctor stopped his writing looking up from his clipboard.

"I know."

Was the only reply he got as the doctor lost interest in what the teen was saying and continued to write on his clipboard.

Ichigo couldn't stop his eye from twitching, finally letting out a sigh at odd behavior. Ichigo walked past the doctor to his room reaching for the door knob. Turning it and opening the door, he realized the fish man he knocked out was gone and the bed looked clean and untouched.

"Hey, where's the fish guy from earlier?" He asked pointing at his bed as the doctor looked past Ichigo's form into the room spotting nothing.

"He woke up earlier, he wasn't injured badly so I treated him and sent him back to his quarters." The doctor said earning a dumb nod from Ichigo.

Ichigo walked into his room and stopped hearing the doctor continue speaking.

"He wanted me to tell you something when you returned. He said quoted 'That was a good punch.' that is all." The doctor finished.

"Why is he praising me!" Ichigo retorted earning a shrug from the doctor as he walked past Ichigo into his room and hung up his clipboard. Porche giggling again at the antics of the teen. She could get used to this much entertainment.

"Get lots of sleep." Was all the doctor said as he pushed open the front door of the infirmary and closed it behind him, leaving Porche and Ichigo alone in the room.

Ichigo let out a sigh as he entered his room with Porche behind him. Sitting down on his bed, Porche sat down on the chair she had taken residence in earlier.

A moment passed as neither said a word and Ichigo turned and finally noticed the clock in the room. How he had missed it earlier was a mystery. Seeing the time he realized how late it actually was.

"Do you think you can beat the Captain tomorrow?" Porche asked breaking the silence as Ichigo turned looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What brought this up?" He asked hoping to understand the meaning of the strange question. She puffed her cheeks at the question directed back at her.

"What I'm asking is if you beat the Captain, will you leave?" She was able to say as Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly understanding her train of thought.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I'm thankful honestly for your company and the hospitality of the crew, but a pirate?" He asked more to himself than to Porche who watched his body behavior. "Where I come from, pirates are seen as ruthless killers who murder and rape." He told her the truth of his image of what a pirate was.

Porche eyes widened as she shot out of her chair clenching her fist tightly.

"That's not true!" She couldn't stop herself from yelling. "Pirates here are different! I don't know where you got that Idea but the pirates around here are good people!" Her voice lowering as she calmed herself.

Ichigo held his response but couldn't help his eyes widening and waited for her to continue her speech. He hadn't seen her look so serious before.

"Well we aren't necessarily good pirates, no one on this crew has ever met a pirate who raped! The pirates here are good people who have hopes and dreams and want to achieve those dreams!" She continued earning a rare smile from Ichigo.

"Alright I believe you, sorry about that. I didn't mean to insult you or your crew." He scratched his cheek hoping to avoid her intense gaze. Porche realizing she was still standing sat down blushing slightly at her outburst.

"I didn't mean to yell." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo waved off the apology.

An awkward moment passed as they both refrained from speaking, letting the silence of the room stretch out.

"What about you?" Ichigo broke the silence catching Porche's attention. "What are your dreams?" He asked his gaze curious.

Porche held her finger up to her chin in thought at the question. She wasn't too sure what her dreams were. She had been taken in by Foxy as one of his first crew members and the rest was history. Her captain had always been with her each step of the way along with Hamburg. Each of them earning new crew members as they continued their adventure on the Grand Line.

"To make my crew happy." She finally said with a big grin that seemed to brighten up the whole room as Ichigo was left speechless.

It seemed she was already making her crew happy, her smile was almost infectious as Ichigo couldn't help a tiny smile working its way on his lips. She turned her head to the clock noticing how late it was.

"It's getting late so I'm heading to bed. I'll fetch you in the morning tomorrow for your fight." She sat up and walked over to the door.

"Get some rest." She said with a broad smile as she opened the door.

"You as well." Ichigo said politely in return.

"Worry about yourself, idiot." She said with a smile closing the door behind her.

Ichigo blinked at the empty insult, but ultimately brushed it off.

Suddenly feeling exhausted he collapsed onto his bed, his body sinking slightly into the mattress.

He had a fight tomorrow, a big fight apparently. It seemed to be a big deal with the crew members, seeing their reactions when he was in the cafeteria earlier. He wondered just what the hell kind of world he ended up in where castaways like himself had to fight Captains of ships for their freedom.

Ichigo was certain he could just disappear now, take his Zanpakuto's and vanish from the ship. But something on his mind stopped that train of thought. It wouldn't be the right thing to do. Porche was a nice girl and betraying her trust she put in him would go against everything he was.

He'd have a fair fight tomorrow to prove himself of his own worth, hopefully with honor. But seeing the Captains devious way of thinking, he assumed the Captain didn't share his honor.

He gazed around the room again as the small pile of books on a table caught his attention. Sitting up and walking over to the table, he picked up two of the books.

'The Mermaid and Mr. Prince' was one title of a book that Ichigo picked up. The strange image on the cover of the book of a ugly looking mermaid and a strange man with blonde hair disturbed him as he set it aside.

Looking at the other book in his hand 'Geography' was the simple text on the cover.

Ichigo couldn't help but sweatdrop slightly at the plain title. Why the hell would someone put a book about geography in a patient's room? While he didn't know the reason, it gave him an opportunity to have a small lesson of the world. Hell it would probably save him from an awkward conversation in the future that would sound something like 'I have no idea what the hell the world looks like'.

Opening the book he flipped through the pages until he came to a map. Ichigo blinked owlishly at what he was seeing. The page was completely blue. The entire world was covered in ocean? That couldn't be right could it?

Reading off the names he blinked at the simple landmarks. 'West Blue, East Blue, North Blue, South Blue were the most noticeable areas, small continents and even smaller islands were drawn on the map dwarfed by the immense size of the world's ocean.

There seemed to be some kind of supercontinent that went straight down the world called the Red Line. Another notable feature was the line crossing perpendicular with the supercontinent called the Grand Line, surrounded by another strange place called the Calm Belt.

The map was incredibly odd, it looked more like something a toddler drew with such simplistic geography and the odd names for places.

Ichigo suddenly felt a wave of fatigue hit him as he struggled to stand any longer. Setting down the book he went over to his bed sitting down to fight off the headache assaulting his brain.

_I'll figure out where the hell I am tomorrow, maybe I can ask Porche._

Tomorrow was a big day so maybe getting some sleep was a good idea.

Lying down he turned off the light next to his bed, finally closing his eyes as he entered the land of dreams.

* * *

Morning came quickly as Ichigo yawned loudly. Being attacked by his dad every morning for the better half of his life had made him an early riser, and it showed in his sleep schedule. Feeling the slight pain in his heart remembering his father antics early in the morning brought a frown to the teens face.

Shaking his head from the thoughts of home, he had a big fight today. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

Testing his grip again he felt more of his Reiatsu had returned to his body. It seemed he'd be back up to full strength in no time at this rate. It felt odd, the air around him felt rich in, something. It didn't quite feel like Reiatsu but another odd substance. Whatever it was, Ichigo would figure it out later.

Stretching in his bed he glanced at the clock noticing the time, he decided that some breakfast would be the best thing to get right now.

Reaching into his Hoari he pulled out the letter Urahara had left him. He guessed it wouldn't be safe to keep it on him during his fight. He kneeled down and placed the letter under his bed. He'd get it later.

His journey out of the infirmary was uneventful as he followed the same path to the mess hall he had taken yesterday. Passing the pirates on the ship who all looked at him curiously. His scowl was in full effect as those who caught his gaze walked a little faster to avoid his presence.

Arriving at the mess hall he realized It was a lot busier than it was last night. There were pirates everywhere of all shapes and sizes. A few of them standing at a staggering height above the rest of the crew.

_What the hell do these guys eat to get so big?_

Ichigo couldn't help but think to himself. Ignoring everything else, he returned to the food stand he had gotten the pasta from yesterday. The pasta wasn't bad so hopefully he could order something else that tasted just as good.

Looking at the menu, he noticed it had changed to accommodate for breakfast. He looked down from the menu noticing the long line in his way as he let out a sigh. Moving to the back of the line he didn't miss the looks he was getting from the pirates.

There wasn't any doubt that he was the outsider here, they all probably saw him when he was rescued from the ocean. Waiting behind a pirate with a tall oddly colored mohawk he waited for his turn.

"Isn't that him?" Ichigo overheard a few pirates whispering to each other. Ichigo guessed the person of interest of the pirates conversations was himself. His scowl returned in full force as he gazed in the direction where he heard the conversation come from.

His scowl worked its way to a table with a few pirates eating in a group squeak quietly at his stare and continued to eat their meals at a rapid pace, pretending to ignore him.

Waiting patiently for the line to thin out, it was finally his turn to order.

"Ohh It's you again, what would you like today?" The chef said as Ichigo noticed it was the same guy from yesterday.

"I'll have onigiri with egg." Ichigo said as the chef nodded preparing his meal. Ichigo noticed he was working at a much faster pace than he was yesterday.

_He probably was tired last night._

Ichigo waited for him as the chef handed Ichigo a tray of five rice balls and eggs on the side. Saying his thanks to the chef Ichigo moved over and looked for a table to sit down at.

Spotting an empty table, he sat himself and started to dig into his meal. A few minutes passed as Ichigo ate in silence. If possible the already busy mess hall got busier as more pirates lined up for breakfast.

He noticed a familiar blue haired girl walk into the mess hall as she gazed around curiously, looking for somebody.

Ichigo guessed that somebody was himself as he put his hand up in the air and waved to catch her attention. Her gaze finally found him as he noticed the grin on her face from afar. She walked over to the table with the large grin on her face.

"Looks like your happy." Ichigo pointed out, if possible Porche's grin grew even wider.

"I'm in a good mood today. I went to your room and didn't see you there. Since this is the only other place on the ship you know about I guessed you'd be here." She said noticing Ichigo's tray of food in front of him.

"Wait here while I get some breakfast as well." Ichigo nodded as she disappeared into the crowd. Ichigo hearing a few more conversations that he was the subject of, he ignored them continuing his meal.

Ichigo glanced over to where Porche disappeared noticing the pirates had made a path for her, letting her cut in line as they all smiled. She was waving and smiling to every pirate she passed. Everyone seemed head over heels in love with her, he swore he could see hearts in some of the pirates eyes, physical cartoon drawn hearts.

Ichigo felt a drop of sweat go down his forehead at the scene. He didn't realize just how popular she was with the crew. He didn't let that affect his opinion of her, their conversation still fresh in his mind from yesterday about her dream.

After she ordered her food she walked back to Ichigo's table and sat herself in the seat next to him. He could feel the glare from everyone in the pirate crew directed at him, most likely from sitting so close to Porche.

"You seem popular." Ichigo pointed out referring to the scene that just played out in front of him. Porche sheepishly scratched the back of her head, usually she was up front with how popular she was, but in front of Ichigo it felt like it didn't matter.

"They've always looked up to me, since I'm their senior on this ship after all." She didn't mention that she was considered the prettiest girl on the ship and they loved her for her beauty as well. She felt that would go over the orange haired teens head.

Ichigo watched her chow down on her breakfast, she had ordered simple eggs, bacon, and toast for her meal. Finishing his last onigiri Ichigo set aside his tray waiting for Porche to finish her meal.

A minute passed as Porche quickly ate everything as she stood up, gesturing Ichigo to follow her. Placing their trays in the tray return area, he followed her into the hallways.

"The Captain filled me in on the details of the fight." She started as Ichigo perked up. "It's called the 'Battle Round' and it's the finale of most of our Davy Back Fights." She continued as they both twisted and turned down the hallways.

"We usually set up anchor at a neighboring island for our Davy Back Fights, but since we can't find any around, the fight will be held on the main deck of the ship." She explained arriving at a large set of double doors. "The rules are simple, you can use any weapons on the ship. The other pirates are not allowed to interfere with the match. We will keep our respective distance from the both of you." She finished as Ichigo nodded at her explanation. Ichigo craned his neck up and caught the sign above the door.

**Armory**

She pushed open the doors revealing what was inside. Ichigo had to do a double take just to make sure his eyes were working properly. Everything from bright yellow suits to wacky wigs could be seen hanging on the walls. It looked more like a party store than an armory.

What caught his attention the most were his Zanpakuto's leaning against one of the walls.

A slight smile made its way on his face as he walked over to his swords catching Porche's attention. They both still had the same deep black color Ichigo was used to. Nothing had changed about them since arriving to this new world.

Kneeling down he looked over his Zanpakuto's to make sure there was nothing wrong with them. Porche watched him curiously as she walked beside Ichigo.

"I've never seen swords like these before." Porche noted breaking Ichigo out of his stupor. He had been so focused with seeing his Zanpakuto's again he had forgotten he wasn't alone.

"They're special to me." Ichigo indulged Porche's curiosity. He didn't want to go into too much detail about the history his his swords. For all he knew the people in this world were normal and didn't have any special powers. Giant fish men didn't count.

It didn't seem to be enough to state her curiosity as she probed further.

"What kind of swords are they?" She asked hoping to get a more in depth explanation from said orange haired teen.

Ichigo picked up both his Zanpakuto's in each respective hand testing his grip on the swords as Porche waited for a response.

"They're called Zanpakuto. I guess a better translation would be calling them Soul Cutter's." He swung his larger sword testing his strength. "They were made for me by a friend of mine named Nimaiya." Ichigo recalled, remembering the last time he saw the sunglasses wearing man.

He remembered seeing his collapsed form against one of the pillars when he had returned to the Soul Palace. He didn't remember if he was alive or not at the time, but he assumed the worst.

"Those swords were forged specifically for you?" Porche couldn't help but feel a slight bit of excitement rising in her. Ichigo stopped his swings looking at Porche who had stars in her eyes. He sweatdropped slightly, setting his blades on the table.

"I guess that's kind of a big deal isn't it?" Ichigo said scratching his head as Porche scooted closer to get a much closer look at the swords.

"They're works of art." She gushed over the Zanpakuto's. Ichigo couldn't help but sheepishly scratch his head at the compliment.

"If I see him again, I'll let him know you appreciate his work." Ichigo said turning his gaze away from Porche. He wasn't being delusional when he said that. He didn't know if there was an afterlife of the afterlife, but if there was maybe his friends and family were there. He could only hope.

Porche was struck out of her thoughts when the door behind her opened. Walking through the door was none other than Foxy himself. He was sporting the same clothes he wore yesterday, his ever present grin still held firmly on his face.

"Gueh Gueh Gueh. Good job bringing our new friend here Porche." Foxy laughed as Porche gave a small salute towards her captain. Foxy walked past her as he picked out a few items from the wall for the fight that was going to happen soon.

Ichigo watched curiously as Foxy picked out a large afro and placed it on his head.

_What the hell?_

It wasn't the oddest thing he had seen before, but he guessed the Captain had a strange fashion sense. Foxy continued to rummage through the large array of strange clothes and weapons picking out a pair of red boxing gloves. Seeing Foxy put on the boxing gloves and started to tie them, Ichigo spoke up.

"Are you a boxer?" Ichigo asked Foxy who turned towards the orange haired teen.

"It's my style. I made a promise to myself I would use these boxing gloves that beat me in my last fight until I have my rematch with that damn Straw Hat." Foxy said with a slight grin as he finished tying his boxing gloves. Ichigo blinked at the logic and didn't quite know how to respond.

There it was again, the mention of the infamous Straw Hat he had heard Porche mention earlier.

Porche gazed curiously noticing her captain was missing a certain sword he usually carried in the front of his suspenders.

"Captain, you won't be using your sword in this fight? Against a swordsmen?" Porche couldn't help but say earning a laugh from her Captain.

"Ohh that thing, If I rely on that thing too much I won't be strong enough to beat the Straw Hat. I've been training my punches so I can lay a beat down on him next time I see him." Foxy said testing out the boxing gloves with a few punches.

Ichigo nodded to himself at the logic, understanding where he was coming from with his train of thought. He had faced opponents in the past with similar motives to hold themselves back in fights to ultimately get stronger.

Hell, Kenpachi took the cake with that mindset. That damn battle driven idiot wore that strange eyepatch just so he could enjoy fights longer without killing his opponents too quickly.

Ichigo could always appreciate a fair fight, so he made up his mind.

Walking over to the same shelf Foxy had gotten his boxing gloves from, Ichigo picked out his own pair of blue boxing gloves. Porche and Foxy quietly watched him put on his boxing gloves with a bit of effort.

"If you're not gonna use your sword, I won't use mine either." Ichigo indulged the two who were staring at him.

Foxy couldn't help but let out a hardy laugh at the orange haired teens sense of honor. Ichigo tried and failed to tie the second glove, how the hell boxers were able to tie the other hand with a glove was a mystery to him

"Underestimating me will be the end of you strawberry!" Foxy laughed as Ichigo's eye twitched at the insult.

"Don't call me that, long nose!" Ichigo retorted as Foxy fell to his knees in despair. Ichigo sweatdropped at the odd turn of events.

"What the hell." Ichigo muttered as Porche gently rubbed her Captain's back.

"So harsh." Foxy sobbed. Ichigo was starting to feel a bit guilty now, but remembered Foxy was the one to insult him first, he just retorted in his usual fashion.

"He's quick to fall to insults." Porche explained with a small smile.

_Is this guy really a Captain? To be hurt by simple insults?_

Ichigo waited a few moments for the Captain to regain his composure. He stood up and his signature grin came back to his face as Ichigo couldn't help but notice how quick the Captain recovered.

"I won't fall for those Insults next time strawberry!" Foxy insulted Ichigo again as he felt a tick on his forehead.

"You're insulting me again after that just now!?" Ichigo yelled referring to the Captain's thin skin to insults.

The two glared at each other neither one backing down. Porche giggled as the two both broke off their glares with a loud 'Humph'.

"Direct our 'friend' to the arena. I'll be waiting there." Foxy said directing one final glare to Ichigo as he opened the door and disappeared.

Porche turned to Ichigo with a smirk of her own.

"You heard him, ready to go?" Porche questioned as Ichigo nodded. Looking at his Zanpakuto's one more time, regretting his decision of fighting with a handicap.

He pushed that thought away after imagining his fight with Foxy if he used his Zanpakuto's and Foxy not using his own sword. He cringed slightly at the thought and felt better about his decision. He didn't want to kill the guy, he just wanted to beat him unconscious.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ichigo said with a slight smirk. Porche nodded as she pushed open the doors leading Ichigo to the deck of the ship.

* * *

It was another gorgeous day on the Grand Line, the weather wasn't trying to murder every single ship in its path and the sun shined brightly in the sky.

The quiet atmosphere erupted into cheers as Ichigo walked through the door on the deck his jaw dropping. He was outside for the first time since arriving on the ship and realized just how ridiculously huge the ship was.

There were pirates everywhere of all shapes and sizes in every nook and cranny they could get themselves into. Ichigo guessed there were at least 400 if not more pirates on the ship.

_This was the crew?_

Each pirate had their own unique style that fit themselves. Many sporting crazy hairstyles and a crazier sense of fashion. Suddenly feeling his opinion of Foxy rise a bit remembering Porche mentioning that most of the crew came from Davy Back Fights.

Porche stopped in front of him as he took a closer look at the ship. There was a large fox head on the front of the ship. The ship deck had many levels going higher on each respective side. He looked up spotting the ugly drawing of what he assumed was a fox on the sail.

Porche noticing the disdain on the teens face followed his gaze and cringed slightly seeing what he was looking at.

"That was a present left by the Straw Hat when he beat the Captain." She defended the ship avoiding his gaze when he looked at her. She hoped seeing such an ugly drawing didn't lower his respect with the crew.

"Is that guy an idiot?" he asked honestly concerned about what he was hearing. First he heard the Straw Hat was really strong to beat the Captain who won 920 fights in a row, now he was looking at terrible drawing that the Straw Hat himself drew and didn't know what to believe anymore.

The drawing reminded him of a certain art style that only Rukia seemed proficient in. Drawing crappy looking animals. A small smile made its way on his face imaging Rukia yelling at him, defending her terrible drawings.

"He certainly wasn't the brightest, that Straw Hat." Porche admitted.

She gestured for Ichigo to follow her as they both made there way to what Ichigo assumed was the fighting area. He spotted Foxy testing out a few punches, warming up for their match.

Ichigo looked down at his blue boxing gloves on his hand. He wasn't proficient in boxing in any way, but it didn't seem any different from his normal fighting style of beating up punks, so he felt confident in his abilities.

"Before we begin we need our two 'Captains' to officially agree to this match!" Porche shouted as the crowd quieted down waiting for their lovely Porche to continue. Porche sending Ichigo a smirk for calling him a Captain. He rolled his eyes and waited for her to continue her speech.

"Do you both swear to honor the rules of the match?" She shouted earning a nod from Ichigo and Foxy.

"I do." Foxy agreed.

"I do." Ichigo agreed.

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as they waited with anticipation for the match to begin. Ichigo watched Porche hand Foxy a single gold coin for him to hold in his boxing glove.

"See this coin?" Foxy said showing the gold coin in his boxing glove to Ichigo.

He threw the coin off the ship into the murky depths below. "I am reporting to the great Davy Jones, this official game under the 1 Coin rule will commence now!" He shouted signaling the start of the event.

Ichigo nodded at the name, he had heard before about Davy Jones, but didn't know a thing about who he was.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Davy Back Fight Battle Round!" Ichigo heard being broadcasted across the ship surprising him. He looked around spotting a giant bird flying in the sky with a skinny long faced yelled into a radio of all things. This pirate world was just getting stranger and stranger.

"The rules are simple!" Ichigo heard the announcer start. "The area the fight is allowed is anywhere on this ship! Because of certain reasons we couldn't find an island to set up for this event, so while usually it's forbidden for other people to be on the ship during this event, today is an exception! Under no circumstance is anyone allowed to interfere in this match!" The announcer continued his explanation as the pirates around listened to the new rules all nodding and cheering.

"Boss!" He heard a large crowd of pirates cheer. Glancing over he noticed a few cheerleaders holding the sign FOXY in big letters.

Ichigo was getting mentally exhausted from the amount of insane things he had seen since arriving on this ship, and he had only been here one day.

"The first person to knock his opponent off the ship is the winner. A technical knockout is also an acceptable means for deciding the winner!" Ichigo nodded his head listening to the rules, there wasn't anything special about the them.

He just had to knock Foxy off the ship before he got knocked off himself. Ichigo gazed at Foxy who was staring at him with a huge grin on his face. Ichigo didn't know what tricks he had up his sleeve but he would soon find out.

"Good luck." Porche smiled waving off Ichigo as she made her way to a higher part of the ship to get a better vantage point to see the full fight. Ichigo did a small wave back as she disappeared into the crowd, reappearing further back next to a larger man with features resembling that of an ape.

"I compliment you for not using your swords this match Ichigo. But don't think for a moment I'll go easy on you." Foxy declared earning cheers from his crew.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ichigo said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles underneath his boxing gloves.

"Before we begin our fight today, our grand sponsor for this fight is our beloved Porche!" A loud ear drumming cheer shook the ship. Ichigo blinked owlishly turning to the girl in question. He caught her gaze as she was smiling and waving to the crowd being turning to Ichigo and giving him a wink. Many of the pirates falling over with perverted grins on their faces. Ichigo felt a light blush dusting his cheeks before shaking his head and turning back to Foxy.

_What the hell is this, a Japanese TV show or something?_

"There will be no time limit for this match!" The announcer started, flying high above the Sexy Foxy. "I can hear the excitement in the crowd! Its physically shaking the ship! Incredible! The stranded swordsman at sea Ichigo Kurosaki VS Captain Foxy the Silver Fox! Who will be the victor!?" He finished. If possible the cheers got even louder, most were cheering for Foxy, but a few were cheering for the newcomer Ichigo.

Ichigo was speechless. Such an absurd turn of events had led him here to fight Foxy for his freedom. The mood in the atmosphere affected him as him as well as he felt himself getting pumped up for this fight. He always fought to protect others around him, always using his fists and sword to protect what was important to him.

To protect Rukia when he fought in Soul Society, to protect Inoue when he saved her from Hueco Mundo, but most importantly, to protect his beliefs. All of that was gone, gone and erased from existence, leaving him the only survivor of his world.

The last Soul Reaper. The last Hollow. The last Vizard. The last Quincy. The last Fullbringer. He was the last of everything his universe was.

He would continue living, and this fight right here was a step for him to take starting his new life. He would never forget his friends or his family, but if meeting the new people of this world would help him make new friends to protect, he would be happy.

His eyes drifted to Porche who noticed the intense look in his eyes as she stopped her waving, putting down her arm curiously wondering what was on the orange haired teens mind, the loud cheering around her seemed to drift away as she stared into his brown orbs.

They both locked eyes as Ichigo smirked turning back to Foxy.

He took a deep breath feeling the salty taste of the air. Punching his gloves together he took a stance ready for the fight.

Foxy looking at the intense gaze in the teens eye couldn't help but grin. Also getting into a fighting stance they both waited for the bell to ring.

Foxy didn't notice the thoughts plaguing the teens mind.

_Should I go all out? No that would probably kill him. For all I know he could be a normal human._

Ichigo made up his mind nodding to himself. He would give a fair fight, he wouldn't go too overboard with his moves. Not wanting to reveal his true strength he would fight like he was fighting those punks back in Kakura.

"Both fighters! Are you ready!" He begun his countdown seeing a simultaneous nod from the fighters.

"3! 2! 1! BE-GIN!" The announcer yelled as the loud ringing of the bell announced the start of the fight.

* * *

Ichigo dashed forward without the use of flash step. "C'mon!" was the quick taunt he heard from Foxy as he sent a right jab at the Captain's face.

Using a surprising amount of agility Ichigo thought a man of his stature couldn't possess, Foxy jumped into the air dodging the punch.

"**Noro Noro Beam!**" Foxy yelled as an instantaneous beam of strange light shot out of Foxy's fist completely encasing Ichigo's outstretched arm in the light.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the attack. All his thoughts of thinking this was a normal world were instantly thrown out the window.

_What the hell was that!? He has powers of some kind!_

Ichigo moved to make a quick retreat but almost slipped on his own feet as he felt his couldn't move his arm.

"What an outstanding first attack! Ichigo has just experienced the Captain's Devil Fruit for the first time! How will he react?" The announcer commented.

_Devil Fruit?_

He tried and failed to move his arm as he felt like he was trying to move an immovable object.

"Gueh Gueh Gueh!" Foxy laughed landing on his feet gracefully. "Sorry for keeping it a surprise but I'm a Devil Fruit user!" Foxy explained as Ichigo stared wide eyed at the captain.

"What the hell is a Devil Fruit!?" Ichigo retorted earning a face fault from the majority of the audience, Foxy included.

"You've never heard of a Devil Fruit before!? Were you born under a rock!?" Foxy yelled at Ichigo not expecting such a response.

"Shut up! What the hell is this?" Ichigo yelled pointing at his arm that he couldn't move. He had underestimated Foxy that was true, but he didn't expect such a strange ability.

Glancing around the crowd he noticed a lot of them smirking at his current predicament. Glancing to Porche he saw her arms crossed with a smirk of her own on her face. He wasn't mad at her for keeping her Captains ability a secret but it certainly felt like a wake up call for Ichigo.

"Allow me to explain!" The announcer started. "Foxy the Silver Fox ate the Devil Fruit known as the Noro Noro no Mi! Giving him the ability to shoot Noro Photons out of his body! Anything hit by the radiation of the beam will not lose any energy, but its physical velocity will decrease dramatically!" The announcer explained as Ichigo blinked at the explanation.

It was an odd ability, but it wasn't necessarily strong. Ichigo glanced over at his arm noticing it was still moving slowly forward against his will, most likely keeping the velocity he had prior to being hit by the Noro Noro Beam.

"Now then." Ichigo heard Foxy speak up as he noticed he was pointing his gloved fist towards Ichigo again as his eyes widened.

_I can't be hit by that beam again!_

With his limited movement Ichigo waited for Foxy to use his beam attack.

"**Noro Noro-**" Foxy started as Ichigo pivoted his body twisting it so he was completely airborne hoping to dodge the attack.

"Just kidding!" Foxy shouted as Ichigo noticed his mistake, Foxy pointed his arm at the now airborne Ichigo.

"**Noro Noro Beam!**" Foxy shouted as the entire beam completely encased Ichigo's body. He had seriously underestimated his opponent and it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

"Gueh Gueh Gueh Gueh! Works every time!" Foxy shouted as he walked over to Ichigo.

"Ichigo has been completely caught in Foxy's trap! Will this be the end of our rising star!?" The announcer shouted earning a cheer from the crowd.

Ichigo felt his body move at a snail's pace. Hell he was even falling slowly. Whatever the Captain was going to do to him while he was trapped like this, he was at his mercy.

Foxy hopped onto Ichigo's chest, Ichigo watched him carefully as Foxy pulled back his arms and started sending quick jabs at Ichigo's face. His face slowly scowled as he couldn't feel the punches hitting him.

_Is the pain slow too?_

"Rush! Rush! Rush!" Foxy yelled as his punches kept hitting the orange haired teen in the face. A few seconds passed as the punches didn't relent. Ichigo suddenly felt his arm that was hit previously by the Noro Noro Beam finally was free from its effects.

Twisting his arm at an awkward angle, using his now freed arm was able to quickly grasp Foxy's punch who stared wide eyed at the appendage. Using his strength Ichigo tightly gripped Foxy's boxing glove with his own.

"Outstanding! Ichigo was able to stop Foxy's assault with his now free arm!" He heard the announcer comment on his quick thinking.

Ichigo using his limited movement he flung Foxy away from him as Foxy flew through the air crashing into one of the guard rails on the ship. Foxy standing up was surprised at the amount of strength the teen had, but his grin grew on his face as his attack was about to do some damage to the teen.

"30 seconds have passed!" Foxy shouted as Ichigo tried to twist his head to see where the Captain had landed. In an instant Ichigo felt the punches Foxy had hit him with all add up into one attack sending him flying backwards towards another guard rail of the ship in the opposite direction of Foxy.

Crashing into the guard rail, it shattered as his back took the brunt of the force. The dust and smoke from his collision momentary blocked him from view from the rest of the crew as they cheered for their Captain.

Porche held a smirk of her own. She hadn't expected Ichigo to realize that the effects of the Noro Noro Beam couldn't be applied to the same object twice to increase the duration of its effects.

"Incredible! Even under the assault of Foxy's punches Ichigo was able to throw away the Captain with the use of only one arm! What kind of strength is he hiding?!" The announcer continued his broadcasting flying above the scene on the ship.

Sitting down dazed for a moment as his body was sprawled against the wooden deck he reached up touching his face with his glove. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. He certainly felt the punches now as he felt a slight stinging on his face.

His scowl was now in full force as he stood up. The dust cleared as Foxy's jaw dropped seeing the scowl and smirk held on the orange haired teens face. He had expected his attack to knock him out or at least do more damage, but the teen only had slight scratches on his face.

"He's up! Even after taking the Captain's punches head on he's up and no worse for wear!" The announcer yelled.

"That was cheap!" Ichigo yelled as Foxy regained his composure and laughed.

"You are a tough one I admit! It's time to stop holding back!" Foxy yelled as he pointed his fist towards Ichigo.

Ichigo familiar with the attack, disappeared in a quick flash step. The jaws of the crowd dropped seeing the teen simply disappear into thin air. Porche was leaning against the railing with her jaw dropped. She hadn't expected the teen to possess such speed.

Foxy's eyes were wide as his eyes glanced around him quickly expecting an attack at any moment. Ichigo reappeared behind Foxy who stared wide eyed at the teen. Ichigo sent a quick kick straight into the side of Foxy's chest, Foxy gritted his teeth in pain as he felt himself fly airborne towards another part of the ship.

Ichigo landed on his feet with his scowl on his face. He had expected the Captain to be stronger, but he deduced the Captain had above average human strength and that was about it. But the most troublesome thing was his ability of the Noro Noro no Mi, whatever the hell that was.

"Incredible! Ichigo using an impressive burst of speed knocked the Captain away! Captain, are you okay!?" The announcer yelled as Ichigo blinked at the biased question.

Foxy crashed into a pillar of the mast of the ship, his eyes were wide as he gasped for air. That kick had knocked the air out of his lungs. He had never felt a powerful kick like that before in his life. It was a miracle he was still awake right now.

Shaking his head he stood up preparing himself for his next attack. His grin held firmly on his face as he hid himself in the smoke.

Ichigo waited for the Captain's next move. The smoke created when he hit the pillar obscured his vision. A moment passed as an ear splitting explosion could be heard across the ship. Ichigo's eyes were wide as he heard more and more explosions.

The smoke cleared showing a strange sight, Foxy was standing on a cannonball of all things. There were multiple cannon balls and they were all moving at a slow pace.

"That was a good kick Ichigo. But that won't do me in!" Foxy yelled earning a blank stare from the teen.

"Are you trying to kill your own crew!?" Ichigo yelled as Foxy's grin faltered for a moment as he realized what Ichigo was implying.

Looking at the trajectory of the cannonballs he realized a few of them were heading for his crew members. Realizing his mistake it was too late as the cannonballs speed shot up dramatically as the crew members screamed as they dove out of the way of the destruction.

"What kind of Captain are you!?" Ichigo yelled earning a rare glare from Foxy.

"The one who gets what he wants!" Foxy yelled as he grinned as one cannonball was directed towards Ichigo. Noticing this prepared he for the attack. Foxy's grin almost split his face as he jumped down from the cannonball waiting for Ichigo's next move.

The cannonball's velocity exponentially raised as it shot towards Ichigo. Against all odds, against the laws of physics, he caught the cannonball in his hand as the pirates watching jaws dropped at the absurdity. Using the speed of the cannonball in his grip he spun his body around do a full 360 and redirected the cannonball towards Foxy throwing it in his direction.

"He threw a cannonball! Just what kind of strength does this teen have!?" Ichigo heard the announcer yell as he couldn't help but palm his face with his boxing glove.

Foxy jumped out of the way of the way of the much slower cannonball, but couldn't help but stare at the teen who casually stopped a cannonball and threw it back at him. Foxy for the first time this fight felt himself gulp. Maybe he was in over his head challenging the swordsman he knew nothing about.

"What kind of monster are you!?" Foxy yelled earning a tick of irritation from said teen.

"Don't call me a monster, long nose!" Ichigo yelled raising his boxing gloves in front of him preparing for the fight to start again.

The collective crew gasped at the insult waiting for their captain to fall on the ground in despair. Against all odds the Captain who was about to fall to the ground stomped his foot on the wooden deck loudly raising his glove high above him.

"You can't beat me with insults this time! Strawberry!" Foxy yelled with a look of determination that wasn't there a moment ago. Ichigo blinked as the pirates ear deafening cheer shook the ship.

"Captain!"

"Boss!"

The pirates yelled as few of them shed tears seeing their captain overcome his usual despair from insults. Ichigo sweatdropped at the scene.

_Why do I feel like the bad guy here?_

Foxy wiped his own tears away from the support of his crew tightening his fist as he got into his own stance, sending Ichigo his own smirk. Ichigo noticing the look in the Captain's eye prepared himself as well.

"I commend your strength Ichigo, but that won't change my mind, I will get you to join my crew!" Foxy declared punching his fist forward.

"**Noro Noro Beam!**" He yelled as Ichigo dodged to the side of the attack watching it fly past him. His eyes widened as the beam hit the window of the ship and bounced back completely encasing his form in the strange light.

_Damnit, this again!?_

Ichigo realized he had been struck by the Noro Noro Beam. He tried to scowl but failed to do so due to his decrease in speed.

"Gueh Gueh Gueh Gueh. I forgot to mention that my photons can reflect off of reflective surfaces. Sorry Ichigo, but I'll end the fight here!" Foxy yelled as he ran over to the side of the ship to the cannons on the deck, moving quickly he pointed the cannons towards Ichigo's direction.

Ichigo's eyes tried to widen when he realized what Foxy was trying to do.

_He's gonna try to launch me off the ship!_

Foxy simultaneously lit the fuse of the of each cannon laughing. The crowd cheered waiting for the attack. Porche couldn't help but worry slightly, she had seen Ichigo show a great deal of strength and speed, but she didn't know if he would be able to stand up to the attack of multiple cannon balls.

"Foxy's trying to knock Ichigo off the ship! Not even Ichigo with his monstrous strength could stop his momentum from flying off the ship, will this end the fight?!" The announcer shouted as Ichigo tried to grit his teeth trying to think of idea to get out of this situation.

Foxy was breathing heavily, the kick from earlier nearly knocked him out and was starting to feel the fatigue hit his body. Ichigo was strong, he would admit it, he possessed strength leagues above his own. He needed to end this fight right here and now by knocking him out of the ring.

"Fuhehehehe! It was a good fight, but it ends here!" Foxy shouted as each cannon fired a cannonball simultaneously towards Ichigo whose eyes were finally wide.

Time seemed to slow down as Ichigo watched the gunpowder ignite sending dust and smoke across the ship as the cannonballs launched themselves out of the cannons. He needed to do something to get out of the path of those cannonballs. Even with his strength he wasn't sure if he could stop his momentum from being flung off the ship. He was going to lose if he didn't do something.

But his speed was another thing.

_Wouldn't hurt to try._

The crew watched as the cannonballs sailed at high speeds towards the orange haired teen cheering and shouting.

Against all logic Ichigo still under the effect of the Noro Noro no Mi dodged the cannonballs by using his quickest flash step he could muster to move out of the way. The audience gasped at the intense speed most thinking the effect of the Noro Noro no Mi had worn off, but the dropped jaws who looked closer noticed he was still airborne seemingly frozen in the air.

Foxy's jaw practically hit the wooden deck of the ship at the display of speed that defied logic. He was certain 30 seconds hadn't passed yet, he always subconsciously counted the time of his beam attacks. Meaning, the teen possessed such speed that even under the effects of the Noro Noro no Mi was able to move at an incredible speed.

Ichigo watched as the cannonballs shot past his previous position with a small smirk on his face, he didn't know if that would work but glad it had.

The effects of the Noro Noro no Mi wore off as Ichigo felt his body return back to its normal speed as he forgot all speed applied to his slow state returned full force when the effects wore off.

Ichigo after the use of his flash step that he used when under the influence of the Noro Noro no Mi was launched sideways towards the side of the ship crashing into the wooden wall breaking it open as he was sent inside the ship.

"He is a monster! He was able to dodge Foxy's attack! To move at such a crazy speed even with the Noro Noro no Mi effecting his body! Does Ichigo have a speed Devil Fruit ability of some kind!" The announcer trailed off, his jaw was dropped as well as he watched the fight below.

Foxy collapsed to his knees as he felt the last of his strength leave his body, his attack had been completely and utterly defeated.

Ichigo brushed off the splinters and wood off of his fallen form as he stood up. He honestly thought he was going to lose at that moment, he prepared himself for the worse. Stepping outside feeling the sun hit his skin he heard the crowd cheer louder than ever.

"He's up! Even after crashing into the side of the ship he looks fine! Ichigo what the hell are you made of!?" Ichigo heard the announcer address him as he tried to ignore the attention he was getting.

"Ichigo!"

"Swordsman!"

The cheers came from the crowd were now directed at the teen and not the Captain.

"Idiots! You're supposed to cheer for me!" Foxy yelled standing up putting as much strength into his legs he could muster.

Ichigo put up his boxing gloves getting ready for another attack. Foxy did the same as they both stared into each others eyes.

"Ready to continue?" Ichigo smirked as Foxy held a grin of his own.

"To be able to move during the Noro Noro no Mi, you really are a monster." Foxy commented as Ichigo rolled his eyes at the compliment and insult.

"I'm full of surprises." Ichigo said preparing himself for an attack.

"Than let's end this now!" Foxy yelled as he shot both his hands forward.

"**Noro Noro Beam! Megaton Nine Tail Rush!**" Foxy shouted as a large array of beams of light shot out of his punches each directed at Ichigo.

Ichigo using flash step vanished from sight.

Foxy's eyes widened as his attack tore into the ship where Ichigo was standing prior destroying the wooden guard rail and flooring. Ichigo reappearing directly in front of Foxy whose eyes widened.

Ichigo shot his fist forward crashing into the face of Foxy as spittle and blood shot out of his mouth. Foxy flew across the deck of the ship before going over the guard rails flying out over the ocean crashing into the water.

The crowd was quiet as everyone was left speechless. Ichigo felt his breath hitch, it seemed he hadn't gotten his full strength back, he could have ended the fight much earlier but wanted to see the determination of the Captain, hoping he could learn why the crew respected him so much.

Ichigo turned his body watching the crowd whose jaws were dropped to the ground. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as everyone stared at him. He wasn't used to this much attention. He finally noticed just how quiet it was.

"Foxy has been knocked off the ship! The winner is ICHIGO KUROSAKI!" The announcer yelled as the cheers from the crowd erupted. Ichigo winced slightly hearing just how loud the cheering was.

"Ichigo!" He heard his name being called from Porche as he tried to spot her in the crowd.

"What are you doing!? The Captain can't swim!" He heard her shout as his eyes widened as he rushed over to the side of the ship looking for the form of Foxy. All he saw were ripples on the water and bubbles. Ichigo threw off his boxing gloves as he jumped off the ship diving into the water to save Foxy.

Ichigo squinted his eyes trying to spot the Captain in the murky depths. He caught sight of him as he rushed forward in a burst of speed. Looking over the defeated form of Foxy he felt slightly guilty for putting him in this state. But a fight was a fight so he tried to remind himself they both agreed to it. Grabbing the Captain and placing him on his shoulders Ichigo slowly swam upwards out of the water.

He had heard before that if you surface too quickly in the water, it could cause permanent damage to the head. So he slowly breached the surface, leaping out of the water by creating a small platform of Reiatsu to stand on he landed on the deck placing the Captain on the ground.

"CAPTAIN!" Was the collective shout from the crew who rushed over to get a closer look of their Captain making sure he was unharmed.

Porche rushed over to her Captain making sure he was still alive. His face was bruised and a small amount of blood was coming out of his most likely broken nose.

Foxy coughed as a mouthful of water came out of his mouth as he slowly tried to get his breathing under control. He slowly opened his eyes spotting the look of concern on Porches face.

"Hehehe, I lost didn't I?" He asked earning a small smile from Porche.

"We'll get that streak back one day Captain." Porche said as Foxy grinned sitting up spotting Ichigo standing in front of him. His eyes widened noticing that Ichigo was absolutely drenched in water coming to a single conclusion.

"You saved me didn't you?" Ichigo nodded earning a small smirk from Foxy. "You have my thanks." Foxy said as Ichigo grinned back.

"What kind of pirate can't swim?" Ichigo asked curiously as Foxy felt a tick of irritation kicking Ichigo in the shin. Ichigo gritted his teeth hopping on one foot clutching his shin in his hand.

"Idiot! Devil Fruit users can't swim!" Foxy yelled earning a laugh from the crew. They were enjoying the antics of their Captain.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that!?" Ichigo started with his teeth gritted. "I didn't even know what a Devil Fruit was before that fight." Ichigo admitted getting a curious stare from the pirates.

It was rare for people to have Devil Fruits which was true, but not knowing about the rumors of the Devil Fruits was a whole different story.

"You really are a strange one." Porche admitted with a smile as Ichigo stopped his hopping on his foot staring at Porche.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo retorted earning a giggle from the girl.

A slow clapping sound broke the crew out of their fits of giggles and cheers as they all turned their heads to the odd sound.

The pirates all turned their heads before there eyes turned wide at what they were seeing. A few pirates collapsed on their knees in disbelief. Noticing the mood suddenly change Porche looked past Ichigo's form and her jaw dropped as she felt her legs shake. Foxy still sitting down felt his jaw drop and eyes threaten to shoot out of his head as he saw who was sitting on the guardrail behind Ichigo.

Ichigo noticing the sudden reactions of fear, he followed everyone's stares as he fully turned around.

Sitting on the guardrail of the ship was a tall man with dark skin, he had frizzy black hair wearing a white suit with an odd sleeping mask on his forehead. He slowly clapped his hands before fully standing up revealing his enormous height.

Ichigo felt a drop of sweat fall down his brow. The guy was tall, Ichigo noted he could dwarf Chad he was so tall.

His name was Kuzan, better known as Aokiji, one of the three Admirals of the Marines.

Ichigo felt the giants gaze on him as the atmosphere seemed to drop a few degrees. Ichigo was instantly on alert, this guy was different from everyone else on the crew.

The looks of fear from the pirates help confirmed his theory.

_This can't be good._

* * *

**Authors Notes**

**Wow that was a chapter and a half, I had never written a fight scene before and I had a lot of fun thinking this one up. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. More chapters to come in the future.**

**Please don't get mad at me for Ichigo not beating Foxy up earlier, I felt this was a good pace for the fight.**

**If I made any spelling mistakes let me know.**

**I have college starting soon this week so I don't know how it will effect my pace of updating, but I assume I won't be able to update as quickly anymore.**

**Sorry for the cliffhanger! **

**Until next time.**

**Edit: Fixed a lot of spelling mistakes.**


	5. Admiral on Deck

**EDIT: I completely changed this chapter's ending. Sorry for the reupload.**

**Classes started but I still have time for an update. This chapter was really hard to write and I still feel the execution was a bit poor, but after rewriting some parts a few times, I feel more confident. **

**Please enjoy.**

**One Piece and Bleach belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Ichigo felt the stare of the man, it wasn't a normal look somebody would give. He felt like he was being evaluated, his worth being determined. Lazy eyes scanned over his body as he watched the giants gaze carefully.

"That was certainly an interesting fight. I didn't mean to ruin the mood." The man said honestly as that didn't seem to help the looks of fear directed his way.

Ichigo leaned over to Porche hoping to indulge his curiosity. Before Ichigo spoke up his eyes travelled down noticing her legs were shaking. His scowl etched itself on his face.

"Who is this guy?" Ichigo whispered. Porche not sharing the same mindset as Ichigo physically jumped at the question directed towards her. Her eyes were wide and she was having trouble trying to focus on anything in front of her. She didn't hear the question as her eyes darted around the ship.

"That hurts you know." Ichigo heard the tall man speak up as his head snapped back to him.

_He heard me?_

"If you want to know someone's name, you should ask them." He finished as he waited for Ichigo to speak up feeling his eyebrow raise at the formality.

"Then who are you?" Ichigo addressed the tall man earning a small yawn from him.

Ichigo's eye twitched at the reaction. He wanted to know why everyone was so scared of the guy.

"H-he's one of the three Supreme Admiral's of the Marines! Aokiji, The Blue Pheasant!" Ichigo heard Foxy yell behind him causing him to almost jump at the loud shout. He turned his head watching Foxy try to stop himself from collapsing onto the ground. His eyes were wide and his entire form was shaking.

Ichigo tilted his head trying to understand what exactly that meant. He wasn't familiar with ranks of the Navy, mainly his dealings were with ranks related to Soul Society.

Was his rank compared to a Lieutenant or something similar?

"T-The highest ranked member of the marines." Ichigo heard Porche barely whisper as she fell to her knees.

_Highest rank!? Captain level!?_

Ichigo turned his gaze on the man studying him closely, he certainly had an odd air around him. It wasn't like detecting Reiatsu levels of other fighters. Ichigo couldn't quite describe it, but he felt something strange from the man in front of him

"W-Whats an A-Admiral doing here!?" Ichigo heard a shout of despair from a pirate in the crowd.

"M-maybe if we all go in t-together we can beat him!" He heard the shaky shout from another pirate.

"Y-yeah we c-can do i-it." He heard another shout from another pirate.

If possible the chilly atmosphere seemed to get colder.

"Idiots!" Foxy shouted stopping the train of thoughts from his crew. "Don't do anything rash!" Foxy yelled at his crew as Ichigo couldn't help but feel his opinion of the Captain rise a little. It seemed Foxy's carefree mood had changed completely, for the short time he knew Foxy he had never seen him look so, scared.

The man now known as Aokiji placed up his hands defensively trying to calm down the crowd.

"Woah woah, relax. I was just passing by when I heard the commotion coming from the ship." He placated the crowd. "It caught my interest, so I watched the fight and wanted to give a few words of congratulations to the winner." He finished as Ichigo perked up at the mention of himself.

"Don't trust him! He's a marine!" A shout came from the pirates.

Ichigo turned his gaze at the pirates who were all trying their best to be as invisible as possible, hoping not to incur the wrath of Aokiji. All of them had looks of fear in their eyes, as if any moment their life would be snuffed out.

Ichigo's eyes hardened at the reactions turning to Aokiji fully.

"What did you want to say?" Ichigo asked suspiciously his eyes narrowing. It was hard talking to the man when you had to almost completely stare at the sky just to look at his face. Aokiji noticing Ichigo's predicament of trying to talk to him sat back down on the guardrail hoping to diffuse the situation.

"Don't look so angry kid. I overheard your name so don't worry about introducing yourself. I just wanted to say I'm impressed. Even under stress like that, you overcame everything Foxy had hidden up his sleeve." Aokiji started his speech. "You were fighting for your freedom right?" He asked the teen who didn't understand the meaning behind the question.

"Yeah, what about it?" Ichigo questioned crossing his arms.

The pirates seemed to sweat at the almost carefree reaction of Ichigo who didn't understand the strength of the man in front of him. A few of the pirates turned and looked at each other hoping this wouldn't end too badly.

"What will you do now? You don't seem like a pirate no offense little guy." Aokiji waved his hand apologetically.

Ichigo closed his eyes to think for a moment ignoring the insult to his height. The crew watched carefully not moving a muscle. Porche seemed to get herself under control as he decided to stand herself next to her Captain, keeping her mouth shut.

"Don't know." Was the quick short reply from Ichigo. The crew facefaulted as the intense atmosphere seemed to fade away. Porche who was standing next to her captain fell down on her rear end at the reply with wide eyes.

"Take this seriously!" Was the collective shout from the pirates directed towards Ichigo. He blinked looking at the pirates whose despair seemed to fade away at his carefree reaction.

"What? I don't know what to do now. Hell I don't even know where I am." Ichigo admitted earning another face fault from the crew.

_This Idiot fought Foxy, a Captain of the Grand Line with a bounty of 24,000,000 Berri's , and casually talking to an Admiral of the Marines!? _Was the collective thought of the crew.

Ichigo watched the crowd of pirates stare at him like he was an alien. Ichigo felt a drop of sweat go down his brow from the reaction. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned he didn't know where he was now that he thought about it.

"You never told him!?" Foxy seethed with a loud whisper directed to Porche.

"I didn't have a chance to tell him okay!" Porche seethed back trying to keep her voice down, hoping not to get any attention on herself in front of the Admiral.

A loud laugh traveled across the deck as everyone turned back to the man in question. Aokiji was laughing trying to hold himself from falling off the railing.

"You fought that Captain and didn't even know you were on the Grand Line? You truly aren't a pirate." Aokiji started to get his laughter under control noticing no one else in crew was laughing with him.

Ichigo felt something click in his mind as he finally realized where he was.

"Ahh the Grand Line of course." He said putting his fist in his palm coming to the conclusion. He was lucky he saw the map yesterday in that book, at least he knew where he was now.

"You seriously didn't know!?" The pirates yelled again, not believing he was actually that lost.

Ichigo felt a blush dusting his cheek at his own stupidity. He was about to retort but stopped when he watched Aokiji stand up.

"Your strength was impressive. What do you say about joining the Marines? You could do some good there." Aokiji asked the orange haired teen who tilted his head at the question.

"Don't listen to him!" Foxy yelled as Ichigo snapped his head towards the Captain. He seemed to regain a bit of his strength, but his legs couldn't stop shaking.

"It's just a question. You don't need to make a big deal out of it." Aokiji tried to calm down the Captain only earning a glare from Foxy.

Ichigo looked between Foxy and Aokiji not sure how to reply to the question. Him a Marine? He couldn't imagine himself working for the Navy.

"I don't know." Was the honest reply from Ichigo. Aokiji looked at the teen and trusted his reply. The teen practically held his emotions on his sleeve from what he saw during the fight.

"Think about it." Aokiji replied as he turned his form towards Foxy, causing the Captain to flinch.

"As for you." Aokiji directed his stare to Foxy. "You are causing quite a bit of chaos on the Grand Line. Entire pirate crews casted out to sea without the people necessary to keep their ships afloat." Aokiji listed off as Ichigo's eyes widened at the information. Foxy felt his legs shake at the attention he was getting from the Admiral.

"Do you know what happens to those ships after you steal their crew?" Aokiji continued his explanation frowning.

The pirate crew felt their breath hitch at the mention of their old crews. They had always wondered what happened to them after they were taken by the Foxy pirates.

"N-no." Foxy tried to defend himself from the interrogation.

Aokiji leaned closer his entire form dwarfing the shorter Foxy by a large margin.

"They sink." Was the simple reply from Aokiji as he looked down on the Captain.

Foxy felt his legs fall underneath him as he fell to his knees at the realization of his actions. His gaze traveled to the his crew as they all stared at him with unbelieving wide eyes.

"Our old crews…" A pirate started to say.

"Gone?" Another pirate finished.

The mood of the crew plummeted at the realization that their old crews were gone, possibly dead. Pirates one by one started falling to their knees at the realization. It was too much to take in for them. A few pirates started to feel tears flow freely down their faces.

Ichigo watched the scene, understanding the mood of the crew. The realization hit him hard as well. From what he heard from Porche the crew were good people, but if their actions led to the deaths of others, wouldn't that make them no different from murderers?

No that wasn't correct. Ichigo watched Foxy's reaction and even he didn't know what happened to the pirates crews after he won the games of Back Davy Fight. Could he really trust what Aokiji was saying?

"Maybe it would be better if you died right here." Aokiji suddenly spoke up as Foxy's eyes widened. The atmosphere cooled down again as no one made a move.

Aokiji reached his hand forward towards Foxy as Porche started to feel tears fall down her face. Her Captain was going to die in front of her and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Ichigo watched the look of despair in Foxy's eyes as he waiting for his death. Is that what he looked like when he cried after having his Fullbringer stolen by Ginjo?

Just how many times had he seen that look on his friends in the past?

Ichigo gritted his teeth. He didn't know what Aokiji was going to do to them, but with his tone he was serious when he said Foxy was better off being dead.

Staring at the outstretched appendage inches away from touching Foxy, Ichigo felt his body move.

They needed a protector, and he was going to save them.

Ichigo vanished from sight as Aokiji stopped his hand staring towards Ichigo's position prior.

_There it is again._ Aokiji noticed Ichigo using that same speed technique he had used during his fight with Foxy. It had caught his attention earlier but now that he could see it up close it intrigued him.

Ichigo reappeared next to Aokiji swinging his leg towards the side of the Admiral.

Foxy's eyes widened at the unexpected savior.

His leg inches away from hitting its mark was caught by the outstretched hand of the Admiral.

Ichigo's eyes widened as his leg was held firmly in place. Ichigo looked at Aokiji's face, noticing his carefree attitude had all but melted away as his face was serious.

_He stopped my kick!?_

"Ararara. You should watch yourself kid. No reason for you to throw away your life at such a young age." Aokiji stated harshly as his outstretched hand holding Ichigo's leg froze completely. Ice started to quickly freeze the clothes on Ichigo's leg. His eyes almost shot out of his head as he watched the Ice threaten to completely encase his leg.

_He has Ice powers!? Like Toshiro or Rukia!_

Ichigo quickly kicked his free leg at Aokiji's outstretched arm surprising the tall man. With the small burst of speed in his kick he free his leg. With his now free appendages made a quick retreat landing on the deck a few meters away.

Foxy's jaw dropped at the unexpected rescue from Ichigo. He fully expected to die right then and there when Aokiji reached for him. The crew's jaws were also dropped seeing the hot headed teen attack the Admiral.

The silence on the deck stretched out as Aokiji directed his attention to the orange haired teen, away from Foxy.

Ichigo looked down at his leg noticing the freezing wasn't as bad as he first thought. It had only frozen his Haori's pants, his skin underneath was untouched. He was lucky that his clothes were able to dry after diving into the ocean.

He had forgotten that his Haori was specially made for him by the Zero division. He recalled Yhwach even mentioning that they were the best clothes that could be worn for defense. Being made by the hair and bones of the Zero division, its defense capabilities were leagues above anything else that could be made.

Aokiji watched curiously as Ichigo looked down at his leg and punched the Ice, breaking it. The tall mans eyes widened slightly seeing the unharmed cloth underneath. Ichigo let out a small sigh of relief seeing the Haori wasn't damaged. It was one of the last things from his home dimension he had, quite literally the only clothes he had on his back.

"Ichigo! What are you doing!?" Porche shouted at the teen as Ichigo gazed up catching her collapsed form on the deck. Her eyes were slightly red from crying.

"Stay out of this. This is between me and him." Ichigo calmly shouted directing his gaze towards Aokiji. Porche flinched at the harsh tone from the teen.

Had his opinion changed of the crew after hearing what Aokiji said happened to the crews that lost the Davy Back Fights? Not even she knew what happened to them after they won most of the time.

Aokiji felt a his gaze on the teen as he hoped to indulge his curiosity.

"Why are you defending him? He was trying to force you join his crew against your will. He has single handedly caused entire crews of hundreds of people to destabilize and sail out lost at sea. Why do you care for this man's life?" Aokiji directed his hand towards Foxy, implying the man in question.

Ichigo gritted his teeth stomping his foot on the deck. His eyes shifted to a look Porche hadn't seen on the teens face before. He looked determined, his scowl was still there but the fierce look in his gaze was different from earlier.

She had to do a double take just to make sure her eyes were working properly. The defiance in the teen's stance almost reminded her of Luffy when he kept standing up time and time again during his fight with Foxy.

Even Aokiji's eyes widened slightly noticing the similarity between the teens defiance to that of the Straw hat he had fought on the Island of Long Ring Long Land. Something was different though.

When he fought the Straw Hat, he knew Luffy wasn't trying to win his fight, but the look in the teens eyes was different. It wasn't the look of somebody who would falter in his steps. It was the look of somebody who was certain of his victory.

Ichigo unaware of the thoughts of the others, started his speech.

"He saved my life." Was the simple reply from Ichigo as Foxy's eyes widened. "Sure he may be a devious scheming pirate." Ichigo noted off on his finger's getting a face fault from the crew. "He may of tried to force me to join his crew." He listed off and Foxy started to feel sweat fall down his face from the comments. He didn't know Ichigo had such a low opinion of him.

"But that doesn't matter. He gave me a fighting chance to fight for myself, instead of forcing me to join his crew as soon as he met me. He saved my life and I'm going to save his. That's all there is to it." Ichigo stated matter of factly crossing his arms defiantly earning a deadpan stare from everyone on the ship.

Aokiji could certainly see it now, the similarities between this teen in front of him and the Straw Hat. A small smile crossed his lips hearing the teens simple minded response.

"And you!" Ichigo continued, pointing his hand at Foxy who blinked at the sudden attention from the orange haired teen. "I'm going to save you and everyone else on this ship. So shut up!" Ichigo yelled as the entire crew was speechless. The moment passed as the crew's jaws dropped to the ground. From such a declaration, what could they possibly say.

"Oi oi oi." Aokiji started getting everyone's attention. "Why are you making me feel like the bad guy here?" Aokiji sighed. Ichigo turned his eyes back to the Admiral pointing his finger at him.

"This is between you and me. Got it?" Ichigo put up his fist ready for the fight to begin.

_He saw my attack earlier, he can see through my flash step. I'll just have to take this seriously._

If Aokiji had any doubt before, it washed away hearing the familiar words he had heard from the Straw Hat. A chuckle escaped his lips and Ichigo's eyebrow rose with a questioning gaze.

"That's fine by me, but don't be mistaken. This will be a fight to the death." Aokiji's body started to let off icy mist, parts of his body covering with Ice.

Ichigo gazed at the Ice, it reminded him more of Toshiro's Ice than Rukia's. Toshiro had always used it to cover himself during his attacks, while Rukia usually used it as a power for her attacks, never covering herself with it.

How many times had he fought like this before. He had lost count how many battles he had gotten into that were to the death, and this one wasn't any different.

"If that's what it takes to beat it into that skull of yours." Ichigo readied himself, he would use more of his power, damn the consequences.

"Then come! Prove yourself!" Aokiji shouted waiting for the teen in front of him to prove his words weren't empty promises.

The crew watched gulping as they tried to back away from the scene, hoping not to get caught up in the collision between the two. Foxy felt himself get pulled by Porche as she tried to get him away from the fighters.

Little did the fighters know that their confrontation would lead to a change around the pirate world.

* * *

Ichigo for the first time since coming to this new world, released his Reiatsu. He had been keeping it lowered so it wouldn't affect anybody here. If they could see him in this new world, than they could most likely feel his Reiatsu as well.

He didn't want to hurt anybody here, so he'd have to move the fight elsewhere.

A blue aura surrounded Ichigo as the crew felt a pressure they hadn't felt before push on them. It felt like somebody was physically trying to push them into the ground. A few of the pirates started to breath heavily falling to their knees unable to stand.

Porche and Foxy stared wide eyed at the teen as the strange aura seemed to emit from his body, feeling the same pressure trying to push them down.

Aokiji eyes were wide staring at the teen, he too could feel the pressure being emitted from Ichigo and stared hard at the teen as the blue aura coming off of him caught his attention.

_Conqueror's haki!? Wait no, it's different. It's not a Devil Fruit. The kid swam earlier so it's impossible that he has one._

Aokiji's eyes widened as the teen vanished from sight, the next moment he felt a hand gripping his face as his eyes slowly moved to his side, seeing Ichigo had traveled the distance between them in an instant.

_He's fast!_

Ichigo gripped Aokiji's face and threw him off the ship with as much strength as he could. Aokiji flew through the air creating a small shockwave before crashing into the ocean.

Watching his form hit the ocean Ichigo landed on the railing taking a deep breath lowering his Reiatsu. The blue aura surrounding him dissipated as the pirates felt the pressure pushing them down disappear. He looked down at his hand that had gripped Aokiji's face and saw it had a layer of Ice covering it.

_So anything that touches him freezes._

Ichigo punched his fist into his palm breaking the Ice, other than a slight stinging it wasn't much, he hadn't touched Aokiji that long so the damage wasn't as bad as it could be.

The pirates fearfully gazed up to the form of Ichigo, his oddly colored Haori fluttered in the Grand Line breeze. They didn't know what that power was, but it scared them. Was this really the same teen that had fought Foxy moments prior?

Ichigo turned around facing Porche and Foxy who both stared wide eyed at the teen.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you guys." Ichigo apologized earning a dumb nod from Foxy and Porche. Foxy seemed to get his bearing quicker than Porche and retorted.

"What the hell was that!? Were you holding back during our fight!?" Foxy couldn't help but shout getting a blank stare from his crew.

Ichigo's eye twitched as he walked over to Foxy. Foxy looking up felt a fist crash into his head.

"Shut up! You're worried about our fight when that guy is out there!?" Ichigo retorted pointing his finger towards the ocean he threw Aokiji. "Now sit down and watch!" Ichigo turned away from Foxy looking at the ocean.

"You bastard!" Foxy yelled feeling the pain on his head as he tried to hit Ichigo back. Porche grabbed her Captain stopping him from retaliating.

"Stop Captain!" She tried to calm down Foxy. "He's right though. What about Aokiji?" She questioned Foxy as he stopped himself.

Now that he thought about it, was the Admiral honestly defeated that easily?

A giant pillar of Ice shot out of the ocean as the crew turned towards the sight, eyes wide with fear. A blast of cold air hit the ship as it tilted causing a few of the pirates to lose their balance and fall.

Ichigo turned his serious gaze towards Porche as she watched him with wide eyes.

"Porche can you do me a favor?" Ichigo started as she nodded. "Could you get my swords, I might need them for this fight." Ichigo finished earning a vigorous nod from the girl.

"Leave it to me!" She said with a wink as she rushed into ship, her form disappearing behind the door.

Watching her leave Ichigo hopped back onto the railings looking down below. He caught sight of Aokiji kneeling on a platform of Ice far away from the ship.

_So an Ice Devil Fruit? _

He still didn't know exactly what a Devil Fruit was, but what he heard during his battle people in this world had strange powers, not unlike a Fullbringers.

Sending one last glance towards the pirates he jumped off the ship and created a small platform of Reiatsu to stand on a respectable distance away from the Admiral.

He knew that attack wouldn't do the tall guy in, if he was anything like Chad with his height he was probably just as strong.

He had chosen to get the Admiral away from the ship where they could fight away from the pirates on the ship. He knew this fight wasn't going to be pretty, and it would hurt anybody who got too close.

Ichigo stood in the air as he watched the form of Aokiji, waiting for his retaliation.

"That was rude of you." Aokiji stated standing up at his full height looking up at Ichigo. His gaze curious as he noticed the teen was defying gravity.

Aokiji didn't know how the teen was standing on air, it certainly wasn't Geppo. That technique allowed the fighter to jump on air, not stand on it like the teen was in front of him.

"If we fought back there, the whole crew would have been Involved." Ichigo admitted his reason for the surprise attack earning a look from Aokiji he didn't quite understand.

Aokiji sighed and rubbed his fuzzy hair with his hand.

"I see, even now you are trying to think of a way to protect those pirates." Aokiji nodded his head understanding the teens train of thought. "That's fine by me. Besides, you've put yourself at a disadvantage." Aokiji placed his hand into the sea water as Ichigo watched closely expecting an attack.

"**Ice Age."** Aokiji muttered as the entire ocean as far as the eye could see froze instantly. Ichigo felt a blast of cold air hit him as he shivered slightly.

Ichigo tried to stop his jaw from dropping but the absurdity of the attack surprised him. This ability was beyond anything he had seen before. He wasn't even sure if Toshiro could pull something like this off.

_Could he be stronger than Toshiro!?_

Everyone on the Sexy Foxy was leaning over the railing wanting to get a better view of the fight. Their jaws dropped as the entire ocean surrounding them, including the water around their boat, froze completely.

"I-Impossible. This is the strength of an Admiral?" A pirate muttered as the pirates aboard the ship started to shiver at the cold temperatures.

"Does that kid stand a chance?" Another spoke up turning his head widely hoping a few of his crew mates could agree with his question.

"He'll kill us all if he doesn't win." Another pirate spoke up earning nods from his crew mates.

"We got to cheer him on." Foxy spoke up as his crewed turned towards him. "He's out there fighting for our sake!" Foxy yelled earning a cheer from the pirates. Foxy looked back at the door waiting for Porche to return.

"Go get him ICHIGO!" Was the shout from the pirates. Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard the pirates cheer, not expecting this kind of support.

"Seems you have quite the fan club, making me look the like bad guy here." Aokiji faked being hurt by the words. He stared at the ship, watching the pirates shouting, cheering for Ichigo. "Kind of makes a guy jealous you know." Aokiji turned back to Ichigo as he hopped down from the air and landed on the Ice a reasonable distance away from Aokiji.

"Those idiots, they are treating this like one of their games." Ichigo shook his head raising his fists. He really wished he had Zangetsu right now, Porche would bring them soon, then the party would start.

Aokiji broke the tense atmosphere by holding up his hand as Ichigo straightened up wondering what Aokiji was doing.

"Before we begin, you said it earlier that you didn't know what a Devil Fruit was correct?" Aokiji asked as Ichigo nodded at the question not understanding the direction of the conversation.

"But you don't seem that surprised by my abilities." Aokiji noticed as Ichigo finally understood what he was implying.

Ichigo held his hand to his chin in thought.

_Couldn't hurt to be a little truthful._

"I met a kid before who also had Ice powers of some kind, his name was Toshiro and he was a good friend of mine." Ichigo admitted earning a wide eyed stare from Aokiji. Maybe calling Toshiro a kid didn't do him justice, he was way older than Ichigo was.

Aokiji couldn't understand what Ichigo had said. Another person in the world with Ice powers? Was it another Devil Fruit that no one knew about? Was it not a Devil Fruit and some other kind of ability? He didn't know. But the way Ichigo worded his sentence, sounded like the kid named Toshiro wasn't alive any longer.

Maybe he could get some answers from the teen after the fight, if he survived.

"Thank you for stating my curiosity. Now shall we begin?" Aokiji asked earning a nod from Ichigo as they both stared each other down, waiting for an unspoken signal to begin the fight.

"BEAT HIM ICHIGO!" They both heard shouted from the ship, using the shout as the signal for the start of the fight, they both dashed at each other in a burst of speed.

Ichigo releasing more Reiatsu out of his body punching his fist forward as Aokiji felt the same pressure on him from earlier.

Aokiji's fist crashed into Ichigo's own creating a small shockwave cracking the ice underneath them. Massive chunks of Ice broke free, launched away from the shockwave.

Ichigo remembered being in contact with the Admiral's body for too long was a bad idea. Pulling his fist back, he readied himself for another punch. It was strange fighting someone so tall, he was twice his height but he didn't let that stop him.

Aokiji watched the teens fist pull back as he unclenched his own and pushed his palm forward towards Ichigo's unprotected stomach. Ichigo, seeing the attack coming, used a quick flash step to appear in the other side of Aokiji. Launching his fist forward he aimed at the side of Aoki's stomach.

His punch hit its mark as the Ice surrounding Aokiji's torso cracked inwards as his entire stomach shattered. Aokiji's eye were wide as he expected the punch to do no damage, but the pain in his side surprised him.

Ichigo eyes widened, dashing backwards no expecting the Admiral's body to shatter from his punch.

_Did I kill him!?_

Landing on the ground he watched Aokiji's form shatter into Ice, not understanding what was happening to the Admiral's body. He watched with morbid fascination as Aokiji's body started to repair itself. His form becoming more human like as the Ice in the air formed a human shape.

Ichigo took a step back waiting for Aokiji to get back up. Aokiji's body was completely white covered in Ice as his clothes and skin formed on his body, taking his original shape.

He looked like he had taken some damage, even after his entire body had shattered. Aokiji stared curiously at the teen with serious eyes. That punch shouldn't have been able to do anything to him, but why did he feel it? He gazed down at Ichigo's hands seeing no armament haki that he was familiar with.

_His normal punches can hurt me?_

"It won't work Ichigo. No matter how many times you shatter me, I can reform my body." Aokiji explained trying to hide the slight pain he felt in his side standing up fully dwarfing Ichigo.

He gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a way to get past that Ice technique. If he just kept punching he would never be able to beat the guy, he even took his stronger punches and came out uninjured.

His quincy abilities were abysmal, the only time he remembered ever using them them wasn't even his doing. Old man Zangetsu was the one who had been the one who used them during his fights to save his life in the past.

His hollow abilities on the other hand…

Ichigo looked down at his right hand where his longer form of Zangetsu would usually rest. If he could awaken his hollow powers, maybe an infused attack of Reiatsu could do some damage to the guy. He'd have to wait for Porche to return. He turned his gaze to the ship, not seeing her form yet.

He scowled remembering he wasn't truly proficient with hollow techniques, let alone fighting in his Shinigami form without his Zapakuto. He didn't fully understanding how to even awaken his hollow powers after getting his true Zanpakuto. In the past he had always used his mask to draw out his hollow powers, but now….

He used to always just scratch the surface of his power when he used his hollow mask, but now that he had received his true Zanpakuto, his powers were completely integrated into him. No longer did he draw out a small portion, he would draw out the full potential of his hollow powers.

Right now he couldn't do that.

He had only arrived here a day ago. He was completely drained of his Reiatsu when he arrived. It was a miracle he had enough Reiatsu right now to fight the man in front of him.

If he had more Reiatsu he was more than certain he could at least try something else to beat the guy.

"Are you sure you should be daydreaming in front of me?" Aokiji said shaking Ichigo out of his thoughts, noticing the Admiral was much closer than before.

His form was encased in Ice as his arms were inches away from wrapping around Ichigo. He cursed himself silently for dazing out during the fight.

Using flash step he disappeared again as Aokiji clicked his tongue in annoyance. Aokiji noted that the teen wasn't this fast earlier when he caught his kick on the ship. It was hard to keep track of him now, ever since that strange pressure exerted from him.

Using Aokiji's tall form against him, he flash stepped upwards out of the outstretched arms sending his knee crashing into the Admiral's head hoping to momentarily daze him. If Aokiji had any doubt before he was certain now, whatever the teen was doing, he could feel his punches hit him. He would figure out later how the teen was doing it.

Ichigo's plan seemed to work as Aokiji was forced to take an shaky step backwards as he gritted his teeth.

_Maybe if my attacks are quick enough I can hurt him._

Ichigo launched a punch at his chest. His fist hit nothing as a gaping hole opened as the Admiral's chest melted away. Aokiji couldn't let himself take anymore damage from the teen.

Ichigo realizing his mistake gazed up seeing Aokiji's eyes watching him carefully.

Aokiji's arms shot forward with a burst of speed Ichigo didn't know the large man possessed as his long arms completely wrapped around him.

"**Ice Time.**"

Ichigo had to hold back a scream escaping his lips as he felt Ice being forced into his body.

Aokiji stared down at the teen impassively who had given him so much trouble.

"It's over." Aokiji calmly stated out loud catching Ichigo's attention.

Ichigo felt his body freeze as his skin turned to Ice. He needed to do something to get out of this and fast.

Surprising Aokiji, Ichigo grabbed the Admiral's head with his frozen arms, pulling his head as far back as he could. In an burst of speed the orange haired teen's head crashed into Aokiji's in a explosion of speed. Ichigo felt his head ring as he gritted his teeth in pain.

Aokiji's head shattered into an explosion of Ice as Ichigo felt the Admiral's arms loosen around him. Aokiji felt his head explode with pain, if he hadn't turned his head into Ice at the moment of impact he was sure he would have been dazed from the attack.

Ignoring the imagery of Aokiji's head physically missing from his body he flash stepped away.

Landing on the Ice Ichigo had to stop himself from almost slipping. Looking down at his body he grimaced seeing more than half of his body was covered in Ice. His body felt slow and heavy. His Haori was almost completely covered in Ice, he just hoped it would be fine after this fight.

He couldn't go on for much longer like this.

Ichigo watched as Aokiji's head slowly grew back as Ice around his body pulled into his missing head, noticing the Admiral's eyes were trained directly on him. Ichigo noticed the slight heavy breathing of the Admiral.

_Did he feel my punches?_

"Why do you continue to fight?" Aokiji asked curiously noticing the heavy breaths coming from the teen.

"Do I need a reason?" Ichigo retorted as Aokiji stared past Ichigo looking at the crew on the ship.

The crew members grimaced seeing the state Ichigo was in, his body was more Ice than flesh.

"For those pirates who saved you huh?" Aokiji asked turning his gaze back at Ichigo. "You would throw your life away here to protect them?" Aokiji watched the teens reaction, hoping to understand his mindset.

"Who said anything about me throwing my life away?" Ichigo smirked earning a raised eyebrow from the Admiral.

It was like his fight with the Straw Hat again, but Ichigo was a more adept fighter than that idiot was. He should end the fight here, he didn't know how long the teen could continue moving with that much Ice on his body.

"I can understand your justice Ichigo." Aokiji scratched his fuzzy hair, his gaze turned cold as he stared at the teen. "I'll prove your efforts are in vain." Aokiji put his hand on the Ice preparing his next attack.

"**Ice Age.**"

A huge blast of Ice shot out of the ground as it launched forward towards Ichigo. He dodged the attack easily by flash stepping high into the air watching the attack from above.

His eyes widened when he realized the direction of the attack, it was heading straight for the Ship.

The pirates screamed in despair as they hoped to get away from the wave of Ice rushing their way.

Porche burst through the doors at that moment holding both of Ichigo's swords in her hands. Rushing over to the railing she caught sight of the attack heading towards the ship as her jaw dropped.

Aokiji watched the exchange disinterested, if Ichigo somehow stopped his attack from killing the crew or the crew met an Icy death it didn't matter to him.

He set the stage for himself being the bad guy, and he would see what the teen would do. Would Ichigo withhold his own justice or let the crew meet an their doom?

Depending on the teens actions he would decide what he would do with him.

Letting a young man with this much potential end up as just another pirate on the Grand Line would do no good for the world.

The kid held his emotions on his sleeve, and his form of justice was something this world needed.

He may be naive, but he needed to learn about this world. How he could have possibly gotten strong enough to not only match him in strength but surpass him in speed was a mystery since the teen was obviously clueless about many things. He needed to know how his punches could hurt a Logia User like himself.

He waited for the teen to make his next move, noticing the fear in his brown orbs.

Ichigo flash stepped landing on the guardrail of the ship surprising the pirates.

"Ichigo!" Porche shouted earning Ichigo's attention as he looked down at what she was holding. A small smile made its way to his lips as he quickly grabbed both of his swords in his hands feeling much more comfortable fighting with his Zanpakuto.

Porche flinched seeing almost half of the teens face was covered in Ice. It was impressive he could still move his body. Porche stopped herself from yelling at the teen when she saw the look in his eyes.

He looked calm. Like he was standing in the middle of a storm trying to single-handedly take it on.

Ichigo turned his attention back to the the attack heading for the ship. Massive pillars of Ice shot out of the ground, each one taller after the other as they grew high above the ship, blocking out the sun.

Ichigo closed his eyes blocking out everything around him feeling for his connection to his Zanpakuto, blue light started to cover his form as he channeled Reiatsu into his Zanpakuto. Misty blue Reiatsu emitted off of the blades as he held them high.

Ichigo's eyes shot open as his eyes glowed blue with Reiatsu, positioning his swords in front of him he readied his attack.

Ichigo stared head on at the wave of Ice heading towards him. He didn't have as much Reiatsu as he hoped, but it would be enough for what he was doing.

The pirates watched fascinated by the swords the teen was wielding, felt the same pressure push on them from earlier.

Aokiji looked at the swords in the teens hand fascinated by them. It didn't look like the teen was using Haki but something else entirely. Feeling the same buildup of pressure from the teen he had released earlier, he retreated to get out of the way of whatever attack the teen had up his sleeve.

Feeling his charge up was enough Ichigo pulled both his swords back. The crowd braced for whatever the teen was going to do.

"**GETSUGA JUUJISHOU!**" Ichigo yelled swinging his swords in front of him at an incredible speed creating two blue perpendicular waves of Reiatsu towards the pillars of Ice.

A blast of heat hit the pirates as they struggled to keep their eyes open.

The two forces crashed into each other creating a small shockwave, they both held strong against each other in a stalemate. It was broken when the wave of energy melted the Ice completely breaking apart Aokiji's attack.

Its path continued unrelenting as it tore into the the frozen ocean, melting the frozen sea water. The attack hit its critical mass as it exploded in the distance sending a shockwave across the water breaking apart the Ice rocking the ship as the pirates held on for dear life.

The explosive heat from the Getsuga Juujishou hitting the Ice caused a side effect causing the Ice to melt at a rapid pace releasing a steamy mist. The once blue skies were obscured as a misty fog hung around the ship. The once warm Grand Line that had been turned into a frozen wonderland was now a moderately warm fog.

Ichigo felt his breath hitch as he fell down to his knee, trying to keep himself steady by using his swords are a makeshift crutch. He had expected as much using so much Reiatsu in a single attack. He was surprised he had pulled that off.

The crew noticing the pressure was gone, one by one started to stand staring at the teen in shock. With the change in weather the pirates felt their clothes stick to their skin.

They couldn't see the teen clearly due to the fog now surrounding the ship, but his form was clear kneeling on the railing.

Ichigo looked up wondering what happened to Aokiji, he didn't want to kill the guy, he hoped he was able to get out of the way of that attack.

"That was impressive." Ichigo heard from behind him as he shakily stood up turning around at the source of the voice, spotting Aokiji standing behind him.

The pirates jaws dropped seeing the Admiral unharmed from the attack, he had escaped its wrath. Little did they know he was well out of the way of the attack prior.

Aokiji noticed the strange change in weather and couldn't help but be impressed by the teen. That attack was dangerous, if he had been in the path of it, he wasn't too sure if he could have gotten away unscathed.

The pressure from the attack wasn't haki, but he was sure whatever it was could harm a Logia user like himself. This kid was dangerous and he seemed to understand his abilities.

His expectations were blown out of the water, he was sure Ichigo would uphold his own justice wherever he went. Now it was time for the offer.

"Thanks." Ichigo said through clenched teeth, he felt most of the Ice on his body had melted away from the wave of heat from his Gestuga Juujishou. "Should we continue?" Ichigo said holding his blades up, much more confident in himself now with Zangetsu in his hands.

Aokiji looked at the swords and couldn't help but admire them now that he was closer. He smiled confusing Ichigo.

"There's no need for that." Aokiji started gaining a raised eyebrow from the teen as he lowered his Zanpakuto's. "This is my defeat. You won this fight." Aokiji placed his hands in the arms in the air showing he was surrendering. Ichigo blinked owlishly as he looked hard at the man.

"Ha?" Ichigo dumbly responded not expecting the Admiral to surrender.

"WHAT!?" The loud reaction from the pirates shouted. Ichigo beating an Admiral!? Impossible!

"He won!?"

"Against an Admiral!?"

"The Admiral's surrendering!?"

"Ichigo beat Aokiji!?"

"Woah now hold up." Aokiji said trying to calm down the crowd. "I will accept this defeat on one condition." Aokiji said putting up his finger gaining Ichigo's attention.

"And that is?" Ichigo asked curiously waiting for the Admiral to continue.

Aokiji turned to look at the teen as they both stared at each other.

"You join me to uphold justice in this world." Aokiji walked towards the teen placing his hand out, waiting for the teens response.

Ichigo looked at the outstretched hand dumbfounded.

_Justice?_

Ichigo stared at outstretched hand not sure what to do. Ichigo looked up seeing a big grin on the Admiral's face.

"What do you mean Justice?" Ichigo asked as Aokiji frowend putting his outstretched hand away scratching his head.

"I have a motto and It's 'Lazy Justice'. Did you forgot I'm an Admiral upholding the law?" Aokiji narrowed his eyes on Ichigo as he gulped at the intense stare.

"Lazy Justice? And I don't know a thing about the Marines so I wouldn't know." Ichigo questioned not really understanding the meaning.

"It means I'll uphold the law, Lazily." Aokiji finished earning a palm to the face from Ichigo.

Aokiji turned towards Foxy. "I'm not going after you anymore. So don't worry about it." Aokiji said earning a deadpan stare from Foxy as he nodded dumbly.

"But why did you fight me?" Ichigo asked earning a lazy gaze from Aokiji.

"Well I wanted to test you and uhhhh." He trailed off as Ichigo waited patiently for him to continue. "I forgot." Aokiji admitted as the crew facefaulted.

"But what about that attack right now!" Ichigo yelled pointing towards where the he had defended the ship from attack. "You would have seriously hurt that crew with that!" Ichigo yelled as Aokiji held up his hands trying to defend himself.

"Oh that, well like I said that was more of a test for you." Aokiji admitted earning a questioning gaze from Ichigo. "I knew you would defend against the attack." He gazed at the swords in Ichigo's hands. "Probably." He said more to himself than to Ichigo. The teen felt a tick of irritation on his forehead.

Aokiji yawned as he stretched his arms sitting down on the deck. "Ahh my legs are tired from all that fighting." Aokiji said.

Ichigo watched as the grown man laid out on the deck putting the sleeping mask over his eyes.

"I'll wait for your answer here Ichigo." Aokiji said with a serious tone that went against his current position of trying to sleep on the wooden deck of the ship.

Ichigo felt his eye twitch as he looked down at the tall man sleeping like a baby on the ground.

_Is this guy seriously an Admiral?_

Looking down at the face of the Admiral Ichigo felt a tick of irritation.

_I'm kicking him._

* * *

**Authors Notes**

**That was a chapter and a half, I had so much trouble writing the fight scene trying to convey how I would imagine a fight between them would play out. Having to write a semi-serious fight scene was fun, but having to drive a bigger narrative into it made it really difficult to get my point across.**

**I'm not too proud of this chapter, at one point I just felt like I hit a mental wall and couldn't write anymore. I pushed through and was able to write this chapter. I might do some edits in the future.**

**I hope you like this chapter because I still have plans for this story.**

**I feel I could have gone with a better way of getting Aokiji to join him in his adventures, but i honestly couldn't think of any other way. **

**Please leave a review! I always read them and take notes sometimes. If I made any spelling mistakes let me know.**

**Until next time.**

**EDIT: So I maybe have screwed up. Logia Devil Fruit users are weak to Haki, but would that mean since Ichigo right now is in his Shinigami form, would his punches have any effect on Logia users. I don't know, but I may have to rewrite this chapter if that's the case.**

**EDIT 2: Completely rewrote the final scene, Ichigo was too OC for me so I rewrote the exchange between Aokiji and him.**

**EDIT 3: Rewrote the final scene one more time for a little bit more humor.**

**EDIT 4: Completely forgot to give a reason why Ichigo wasn't using his Zanpakuto's. I can't believe I overlooked it. Added an explanation just before His fight starts with Aokiji over the ocean.**

**EDIT 5: Retconned an entire chunk of the chapter, will delete the old one and reupload this one.**

**EDIT 6: Fixed the parts where Aokiji now actually feels Ichigo's punches and I feel it adds more to this fight why Aokiji surrendered. **


	6. Apply heat to cold burns

**Before you begin if you didn't check I reuploaded the previous chapter, rewriting the ending and parts of the fight between Ichigo and Aokiji.**

**Check it out before you read this one.**

**This is a shorter chapter, pushing the story forth a little bit.**

**Its a bit rushed but I seriously wanted to get the story rolling.**

**One Piece and Bleach both belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Ichigo let the hot water from the shower warm up his body. Parts of him were still covered in Ice. He reached for the shampoo on the shelf in front of him grimacing slightly feeling the pain in his arms. It seemed he had pushed himself too far today.

He had hung up his Haori before entering the small bathhouse, surprised the thing didn't have a scratch on it. Those guys at the Zero division sure did know their stuff.

Frowning slightly remembering the last time he saw them in the Soul Palace he shook his head.

He glanced over seeing his two Zanpakuto leaning against the wall next to his clothes.

He let out a sigh as he leaned against the wall, remembering the events from earlier today.

After Aokiji's declaration to have him join the Admiral in his adventures, the tall man had laid down and taken a nap right in front of the teen. Ichigo tried to kick his head but the pirate crew jumped him stopping him from releasing his anger on the frizzy haired man. Ichigo calmed himself realizing just how tired his body was.

Porche had dragged him off to get away from the Admiral hoping another confrontation wouldn't happen between the two. She was flustered and was avoiding his questions when asking her what was wrong.

After being taken to the showers by her, she left to check up on her Captain in the infirmary.

Leading to where he was right now.

Gazing around the bathhouse he noticed it was actually quite large, probably to accommodate the large crew on the Sexy Foxy. The room was spacious and there was no one around which surprised him.

He had expected more of the crew to be here after the events of today.

_Or everyone is avoiding me?_

Ichigo's thoughts traveled back to the fights he had today. He had only been in this world for a full day and he already had two fights back to back.

Foxy wasn't too much of a threat to him during his fight, he felt he needed to bring himself down to his level to honor the fight between the two. Even if he did beat the Captain with single punch in the end.

Then there was the Admiral. He was a real problem, his powers almost identical to that of the late Captain of the 10th division Toshiro. His gaze hardened as he tried not to think of the depressing thoughts of his old friends. He really needed to stop comparing people back from his world.

Ichigo turned the hot water off in the shower. Now that he felt refreshed he walked over to the large tub in the room and settled himself down in the hot water, releasing a sigh of relief as the bath water felt nice against his aching body.

He knew he was pushing himself today, he barely had any Reiatsu left after that last attack. That didn't stop him from fighting in the past though.

The fight he had with Aokiji was still fresh in his mind, letting the battle mull through his head. He was sure he could have used some other techniques during that fight, but none came to mind in the heat of battle. He didn't even have his Zanpakuto's for the majority of the fight. He had pushed himself enough.

Speaking of which, next time he saw the the Admiral he would give him a piece of his mind for the stunt he pulled when he tried to freeze the ship.

"Ohh there you are Ichigo." He heard from behind him as he almost jumped out of the water at the sudden mention of his name.

Turning around he spotted the tall dark skinned man, his white suit was gone and the only thing covering his manhood was a towel wrapped around his waist. Ichigo's eye twitched from the sudden shout from the tall man.

"Don't scare me like that! What are you doing here?" Ichigo questioned pointing at the tall man. Ichigo sunk himself lower into the hot water.

"I asked the nice pretty ladies where you went and they told me I'd find you here." Aokiji simply said closing the door to the bathroom behind him. Ichigo's eye twitched, his scowl forming on his face at the odd wording used for the girls on the ship.

Was this guy secretly a pervert like Kon?

Ichigo watched as Aokiji walked over to one of the showers on the wall and turned on the cold water starting to wash himself. Ichigo turned away to give the man his privacy remembering the tall man didn't answer his question about why he attacked the ship.

"Why did you really target the ship with that attack earlier?" Ichigo spoke up causing Aokiji to momentarily stop his scrubbing of his body as he turned his head towards the teen.

"I said it earlier didn't you hear me? It was a test for you." Aokiji turned away continuing his cleaning of his body.

"Stop saying it like that!" Ichigo retorted loudly turning his head away from the man. "Were you seriously trying to kill the pirates with that attack back there?" He questioned him, wanting to know why he would do such a thing.

"Do you know what it means to uphold justice as a Admiral, Ichigo?" Aokiji asked not expecting the teen to understand his train of thought.

"Not really." Ichigo waved off the question waiting for the taller man to elaborate.

Aokiji let out a sigh washing the soap off his body. "Every Admiral has his own form of Justice." Aokiji spoke up as Ichigo listened. "I said it earlier, I uphold the motto known as 'Lazy Justice'." Causing Ichigo's eyes to roll at the ridiculous name.

Standing up he walked over towards Ichigo as the teen heard his footsteps across the wet tiled floor towards him. Watching the taller man put his foot in the water his eyes widened slightly remembering the times his body shattered into Ice.

Ichigo was about to voice out that it was dangerous entering the bath, expecting the man to melt away, but watched as the Admiral continued his descent into the hot water, seemingly fine with the temperature. Ichigo felt like hitting himself for his own stupidity.

_Of course he's not going to melt just because of some hot water. He can turn into Ice doesn't mean his body is always made of It._

Aokiji settled into the bath with a loud sigh as he looked at Ichigo noticing the strange look on the teens face directed at him.

"What's wrong? Something on my face?" Aokiji asked as Ichigo turned his head away hoping the taller man didn't notice his stupid thoughts.

"It's nothing." Ichigo let his body sink into the water, his full head of orange hair and eyes were the only part of him sticking above the water. Aokiji raised his eyebrow watching the strange antics from the teen but brushed it off.

"As I was saying, the Admiral's duty is to uphold Justice." Aokiji started again as Ichigo had to stop the roll of his eyes.

"Get to the point." Ichigo spoke up surfacing slightly leaning back against the side of the pool.

"Chill out, I'm about to." Aokiji said as Ichigo ignored the obvious, possibly unintentional pun. "My justice, is that the pirates on board this ship, whether they live or die, it doesn't matter to me." Aokiji admitted as Ichigo snapped his head towards the man.

Ichigo had to stop himself from yelling, for all he knew, he could be attacked by the Admiral at a moments notice, but seeing his laid back attitude, and his relaxed posture, it was hard to tell what the man was thinking.

"So if your attack hit the ship, you wouldn't have cared if the crew died?" Ichigo tried to understand the meaning behind his words narrowing his eyes.

Aokiji nodded glad the teen understood what he was trying to tell him.

"Exactly. The pirates of this world are dangerous. The pirates on the Grand Line even more so. Many are strong and cause nothing but destruction and death for the innocent people who try to live normal lives." Aokiji turned his gaze to Ichigo as the teen nodded understanding what he was saying.

He didn't know if he could agree with his biased view. He had only met the Foxy pirates so far in this world and they didn't seem like bad people. He didn't know if he could trust Aokiji when he mentioned about the ships the Foxy pirates took crew members from usually sank.

"What made you change your mind about Foxy? Sure he may be a jerk but did you really have to try killing him?" Ichigo asked glancing at Aokiji.

"He's small fry on the Grand Line. Leaving him alive makes my job easier." Aokiji began getting a questioning gaze from Ichigo, wanting the man to elaborate. "I was serious when I said the ships he takes crews from usually sink. Ships sink all the time on the Grand Line." Aokiji finished as Ichigo tried to understand the Admiral's reasoning.

If the Admiral let Foxy continue his expeditions out on the Grand Line, continuing to take pirates from other crews into his own, more pirate ships would sink without the crew necessary to keep the ships afloat, meaning….

"You'll have less pirates to deal with." Ichigo came to the conclusion earning a nod and small grin from Aokiji.

"Bingo." Aokiji gestured a finger gun towards Ichigo as he stared at the Admiral. He wasn't sure if he could agree with that logic. So this was his 'Lazy Justice'?

"So the Grand Line is a pretty bad place huh Aokiji?" Ichigo said out loud to himself earning a stare from Aokiji.

Aokiji grimaced slightly hearing his name spoken by the teen. "Ararara, call me Kuzan. I don't know why but It makes me feel old when you call me Aokiji." Kuzan said as Ichigo glanced over at the man.

"But you are old, aren't you?" Ichigo noted as he felt the temperature of the water cool down a little seeing the frosty glare from Kuzan.

Ichigo turned his head away from the Admiral sinking further into the water. "Forget I said anything." Earning a small laugh from Kuzan.

"So full of life you kids are today. I'm looking forward to our travels." Kuzan relaxed leaning back on the side of the pool. Ichigo raised a question eyebrow at him.

"I don't remember agreeing to anything." Ichigo reminded the tall man. The Admiral sighed before standing up turning his gaze towards Ichigo. The teen suddenly felt like he shouldn't have said that.

"I promised I'd surrender only if you agreed to join me." Kuzan reminded the teen, parts of his body started to cover with Ice as Ichigo felt a tick of irritation.

Ichigo picked up a wooden bucket beside him and threw it at the Kuzan's head. The bucket bounced off the Admiral's head who stared wide eyed at the teen, not suspecting that kind of response.

"Don't challenge me to a fight in your birthday suit you pervert!" Ichigo fumed turning away from the tall naked man. Kuzan looked down remembering he was in fact naked grinned slightly.

Kuzan settled himself back in the bath as Ichigo turned back to the man.

"Let me think about it. I don't know anything about the Marines remember?" Ichigo asked honestly earning an understanding nod from the Admiral.

"I said I wanted you to uphold justice with me, not join the Marines." Kuzan reminded the teen as Ichigo turned back to the man forgetting that. "I want you to travel with me to see this world for yourself. To uphold your own justice, not mine. If you want to join the Marines later I won't stop you. If you don't join the Marines it doesn't matter either way." Kuzan admitted as the teen listened carefully.

Standing up the Admiral made his way to the wall, grabbing a towel drying himself off. Grabbing his clothes from a basket he made his way to the door.

"I'll be waiting for your answer on the deck. Take your time." Were the last words he said before he opened and closed the door behind him, leaving Ichigo alone in the large bathhouse.

Ichigo let out a sigh before he let his body sink further into the water. He suddenly felt he was way in over his head with what was happening in this world and he had only been here a single day.

_Should I take his offer?_

It would be an eye opening experience for him to get a better understanding what was happening in world. If his rank of Admiral meant anything, than he had a lot of power. Maybe Ichigo could get away with doing something that would normally earn him on a wanted list of some kind.

He didn't agree with the Admiral's sense of Justice, it went against his sense of protecting others, but maybe travelling with the man could give him a reason to get away from the Foxy pirate crew. He was honestly thankful the Foxy pirates saved his life and the company they gave him, but he wasn't a pirate.

He couldn't agree with the stupid Davy Back Fight and hoped maybe Foxy could change his ways of getting new crew members the normal way and not taking people against their will. Ichigo didn't know what a 'normal way' for getting a pirate to join a crew was, but it certainly wasn't Foxy's way.

Getting out of the bath Ichigo made his way to the towel rack drying himself off. Grabbing his Hoari he slowly put it on.

Feeling his clothes nice and snug on his body, he reached over and grabbed Zangetsu, feeling the familiar weight of his longer sword placed on his back as it's form wrapped with bandages. Placing his smaller sword on his hip he made his way to the door. Pushing the door open he made his way to the Infirmary for a quick visit with a certain Captain.

* * *

Ichigo made his way to the front door of the infirmary, opening the door slowly he walked inside. The front lobby was surprisingly quiet. He expected there to be more of a commotion, but remembering no one was actually injured earlier today it made sense to him.

Glancing around the lobby, he remembered the letter he had left under his bed. Opening the door to his room, he noticed no one was inside. Shrugging he kneeled down beside his bed reaching under it, feeling for the piece of paper. Feeling it between his fingers he let a small smile cross his lips pulling his hand back.

His eyes gazed down at his at his father's handwriting, seeing the last words he had left to him. Wanting to avoid those sad feelings he placed the paper in his Haori and stood up glancing around the room one last time.

Nodding to himself confirming he had left nothing else behind, he opened his door catching sight of a doctor walking past him.

"Hey do you know where Foxy's room is?" Ichigo asked the doctor who jumped slightly at the sudden attention. The doctor turned towards him eyes wide recognizing the teen who had beaten the Captain, and fought the Admiral to a stand still.

"Ah, he's in that room down the hall." The doctor said regaining his composure pointing his finger at a door a few meters away.

"Thanks." Ichigo waved off the doctor who nodded and made his way back to his task at hand.

Ichigo walked down the hallway, reaching for the doorknob for Foxy's room he slowly twisted it and pushed open the door.

Walking inside Ichigo caught sight of Foxy laying on a bed, his face was comically covered in bandages even wrapping around his nose. Porche was sitting down on a chair next to her Captain. They both turned and stared wide eyed at the teen who entered the room, the events from earlier still clear in their minds.

"Ichigo." Porche greeted the teen standing up from her chair. Her opinion of the teen had shifted dramatically from the fights prior. "How are you feeling?" She asked looking over his body.

Ichigo stretched his arms feeling a little bit stiff. "A little sore but other than that I'm fine." Ichigo admitted gaining a small smile from the girl. It was incredible that he could move after fighting an Admiral at all.

"Ichigo." Foxy finally spoke up gaining the teens full attention. Foxy sat up to a more comfortable position to get a better look at the teen. "Why are you here?" Foxy asked glancing up and down the teen noticing the small white handle over his shoulder with his smaller sword on his hip. He blinked remembering the strange X shaped attack he had used to stop the wave of Ice from destroying the Sexy Foxy.

"I just wanted to check up on you to make sure you were fine, in case I hurt you too much." Ichigo admitted gaining a small glare from the Captain. Porche took a step back away from the two to avoid being involved.

"You have some nerve to say that after that fight with that Admiral. Why didn't you tell us you were ridiculously strong!?" Foxy all but shouted as Ichigo had to almost cover his ears at the loud tone.

"You never asked." Ichigo admitted honestly earning a palm to the face from Porche.

"Knowing you held back during our fight makes me angry you know." Foxy glared at the teen gritting his teeth. Ichigo put up his hands defensively.

"I wasn't holding back that much." Ichigo crossed his arms trying to defend his reasoning. "You honestly caught me off guard with some of your moves." Ichigo didn't want to mention that he wasn't even close to half his full strength for the fight.

Foxy let himself sigh falling back sinking slightly into his bed, he was still stressed from this defeat, but even more stressed from the Admirals unexpected arrival on his ship. He was nervous about that frizzy haired man, but he seemed honest when he said he wouldn't go after him anymore.

He trusted Ichigo would make sure he would keep his word when he protected him and his crew.

"I can't stay mad at you after you saved my life and my crew's. How could I possibly be mad after that." Foxy said shaking his head. He may be a scheming devious man, be even he knew when to be thankful.

"Dont worry about it." Ichigo said waving off the gratitude. He did it because that tall bastard pissed him off.

"I'll beat you next time, after I take my revenge on that Straw Hat you better prepare yourself." Foxy suddenly spoke up catching Porches attention. It seemed her Captain had made another great enemy on the Grand Line.

"I'll be glad to beat you down again." Ichigo sent his own challenging smirk towards the Captain. Ichigo was glad the man was feeling better.

"What about the Admiral's offer?" Porche asked the teen, Aokiji's words still fresh in her mind. "Will you actually join him?" She asked tilting her head.

Ichigo let out a sigh scratching his head. "I was on my way to talk to him before I came here." Ichigo began putting down his arm. "I've made up my mind." He said catching the Foxy's and Porches attention.

"I'm going with him." He spoke up, Porches and Foxy's eyes widening. "Not to join the Marines, but to figure out what the hell it means to uphold justice." Ichigo said turning away from them in thought. His back visible the tall form of his sword was wrapped in a strange white cloth that caught the pirates attention.

"When will you leave?" Foxy asked. He hadn't expected for the teen to accept the Admiral's offer, but this was something that was out of his league to understand.

"After talking to him I guess." Ichigo shrugged. Porche shook her head in amusement. The teen was so simple minded, but had a good heart to help those in need of help.

"Take care Ichigo. Don't try picking fights with him anymore. He's an Admiral for a reason you know." Porche tried to reason with Ichigo, getting a nod from the teen.

"Thanks. I'll be on the deck." Ichigo made his way to the door, grabbing the door handle he stopped perking up slightly before turning back around.

"Ohh I almost forgot. Try to take it easy with the Davy Back Fights. Remember what the Kuzan said about the ships?" Ichigo tried to remind Foxy about the reason why Aokiji had tried to kill him.

_Kuzan? When did Ichigo and the Admiral get so close to start casually calling each other by their first names? _Porche thought.

Foxy gulped remembering the intense fight between Ichigo and Aokiji.

"I'm not mad at you. Look, I'm not telling you to change your ways, but think more about the pirates of your crew." Ichigo tried to placate the Captain. Foxy put his hand to his chin in deep thought.

Foxy noticed the mood of the ship wasn't as high as it usually was after Aokiji revealed the truth what usually happens to the crew members previous crews.

"Maybe…" Foxy began catching Porches attention with his tone of voice. "Davy Back Fights should be a thing of the past." Foxy finished as Porches eyes widened.

"Captain, you don't mean….?" Porche started not believing what her Captain was saying.

Foxy turned to Porche, she flinched seeing the determination in Foxy's eyes.

"We should stop the Davy Back Fights." Foxy said shocking Porche. Her mouth hung open as she stared in disbelief at her Captain. Davy Back Fights had been the backbone of the crew for as long as she could remember.

Ichigo noticing the mood between the two felt he was out of place. Wanting to not interfere with the crew bonding moment, made for his exit.

"I'll be looking for Kuzan." Ichigo said pushing the door open and disappearing behind its frame.

Foxy and Porche both stared at the door not expecting the teens quick exit. They could only hope the teen wouldn't do anything rash.

* * *

Stepping out onto the deck, Ichigo held his hand over his eyes to protect his eyes from the bright sun. The mist that had hung around the ship was gone, most likely swept away by the wind.

Ichigo's head swiveled trying to find the form of Aokiji on the deck. A few pirates were still around cleaning up from the previous fights. Their heads looked up noticing the strange orange haired teen who had caused a big stir today.

They didn't know what to think of the teen, he has beaten their Captain and protected them from certain death from the Marine Admiral.

They sent a casual wave towards Ichigo as the teen sent a wave back not sure how to respond to the pirates attention. He walked up to the higher parts of the deck hoping to get a better view to find the Admiral.

Ichigo spotted the Admiral laying out in the shady part of the ship with his sleeping mask covering his eyes. Ichigo felt a tick off irritation seeing the admiral had fallen asleep. He was just talking to him ten minutes ago!

Walking over to the tall man Ichigo noticed the his mouth hanging open. He could hear quiet snoring coming from him.

Ichigo grinned devilishly as he readied himself for his revenge. No one was around to stop him this time.

Lifting up his foot he sent it down on Kuzan's head hoping to get some well deserved revenge.

An outstretched hand caught the descending appendage as a small grin found its way on the Admiral's lips.

"Ararara?" Aokiji started using his other hand to lift up his sleeping mask.

"Attacking someone while they are napping? That's not very nice-." Ichigo put more pressure on his foot as the Admiral struggled to keep the foot away.

"Get up you idiot." Ichigo said with clear mirth seeping from his words, enjoying the position he was in.

Aokiji felt a bead of sweat go down his brow seeing the devious smile on the teens face.

"Alright chill out." Aokiji felt the teen lift his leg away from him, watching him roll his eyes at the pun.

The pirates watching the exchange felt their hearts stop expecting another fight to break out.

Aokiji stood up brushing the dust off his body. Ichigo looked up feeling his neck strain from the odd angle he had to position his head just to look at the man's face. Ichigo wasn't sure if he could ever get used to this.

"So, have you decided?" Aokiji asked looking down at the orange haired teen.

Ichigo let out a loud sigh making up his mind. "When do we leave?" Ichigo asked gaining a small smile from the tall man.

That saved the Admiral from using a cheesy speech he had planned hoping he could convince the teen to join him.

"Give me a moment." Aokiji walked off to a opening a door on the deck walking inside.

Reaching inside he pulled out something that Ichigo honestly thought he would never see in a water world like this one.

It was a bike.

Ichigo had to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, maybe he had Reiatsu deficiency that made him see things.

Aokiji pushed the large bike over to Ichigo who stared long and hard at the two wheeled monstrosity. It was ridiculously huge, probably custom made to accommodate for the Admiral's rather large size.

"Hop on." Aokiji said simply earning an angry glare from Ichigo.

"Like hell I will!" Ichigo felt like flipping something. He was no way in hell sitting on that monstrosity to bicycles everywhere.

He could see it now, how the Admiral used his ice powers to freeze the ocean beneath him giving him a solid platform to ride his bike now. It was so stupid he honestly wished this was a practical joke.

"Ararara? How do you plan to keep up with me?" Aokiji gazed at Ichigo not expecting an answer.

"I'll walk." Ichigo decided earning a questioning gaze from the Admiral. His eyes widened slightly remembering the teens strange ability that let me stand on the air.

"Suit yourself. But don't ask me for a ride when you get tired." Aokiji said picking up his bike and walking down the stairs to the lower deck.

Ichigo had to stop his eye from twitching seeing the ridiculous sight. Following after him down the stairs, he caught sight of Porche walking out of a door looking around the deck before she perked up spotting Ichigo.

Ichigo watched her walk her way over holding a small backpack of some kind. Walking over she tried to ignore the Admiral gazing her way.

"Ichigo. Before you go take this." Porche said handing Ichigo the backpack. The teen raised an eyebrow taking it, opening the zipper he peeked inside to find containers of water and preserved food. Porche looked at the Admiral and had to do a double take seeing the huge bicycle he was carrying.

"It was the Captain's idea." She said ignoring the Admiral's strange bike. "He didn't want you to die of starvation or dehydration before you see him again." She said with a smirk placing her hand on her hip as Ichigo nodded.

"Thanks. I'll return this next time I see you guys." ichigo said gesturing to the backpack earning a smile from Porche.

"Don't worry about that. Just make sure to drop by sometime. The Captain mentioned this ship was going to the New World. We can meet each other there again someday." Porche said gaining a questioning look from Ichigo.

"New World?" Ichigo asked Porche. She perked up remembering Ichigo didn't know much about the world for some reason.

She was about to speak up when Aokiji beat her to it.

"It's on the other side of the Grand Line. It's the most dangerous place in the world." Aokiji spoke up catching Ichigo's attention. "With your crew as it is now, you won't survive there." Aokiji admitted earning a slight frown Porche. Ichigo held his tongue seeing Porche struggle trying to think of a response.

"That's why we are training. Ever since the Straw Hat's beat us we've been giving it our all." Porche pumped her fist in the air. Ichigo watched the antics not sure what to think.

"Well it doesn't matter to me. Ready to go Ichigo?" Aokiji said placing his bike down against the railing. Ichigo nodded walking beside Aokiji.

Picking up his bike the Admiral jumped over the railing, landing on the ocean, his feet freezing beneath him as he set down his bike.

Ichigo turned around looking at Porche one last time. Ichigo let a rare smile cross his face as he looked at Porche. The girl felt a small blush dust her cheeks seeing the teens smile.

"Thanks for taking care of me. I'll see you in that New World one day." Ichigo stepped up standing on the railings.

"Stay safe." She said waving her hand at Ichigo. The pirates watching starting waving towards Ichigo as well. Teen not sure how to respond awkwardly waved back before jumping down landing next to the Admiral, creating a small platform of Reitasu beneath his feet.

The Admiral gazed down at his feet curiously trying to deduce what kind of technique the teen was using. He would ask the teen later after gaining more of his trust.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked as Aokiji got onto his bicycle.

"I need to check up on someone." Aokiji started pedaling his bicycle as Ichigo walked beside him. The teen ignored how odd it was walking on the ocean next to somebody riding his bike on it.

"We're heading to Enies Lobby."

* * *

**Authors Notes**

**This chapter felt more like filler honestly but I wanted to wrap it up.**

**No action so its definitely a change of pace.**

**I have more great idea's I hope to include in this story. **

**Leave a review and let me know if I made any spelling mistakes.**

**Until next time.**


	7. On the Sea without a Boat or a Paddle

**This took a bit longer to write. **

**Hope you enjoy.**

**One Piece and Bleach belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Ichigo had been walking next to the Admiral for a while now. Glancing at the man he hadn't said a word since they started their journey. He didn't know what this Enies Lobby place was and he was starting to feel his curiosity get the best of him.

"What kind of place is Enies Lobby?" Ichigo asked. The squeaking of the bike was starting to annoy him. How the hell the bike wasn't completely rusted constantly getting pounded by salty sea air was a mystery. Maybe he took really good care of his bike?

Aokiji looked over at his shorter companion.

"It's a judicial Island, well it's more of a courthouse where prisoners are sentenced." Aokiji Began gaining the teens full attention. "It's connected to Impel Down and the Marine headquarters so it's a pretty important place." Aokiji finished noticing the odd stare from the teen. He guessed since the teens knowledge of this world was abysmal for some odd reason, he assumed the teen didn't understand half of what he said.

"They are connected by the great current, it's all controlled by the World Government." Aokiji started his explanation again before Ichigo held up his hand stopping the taller man.

"Hold up. I have too many questions. Impel down? Marine headquarters? World Government? The whole world has one government?" Ichigo listed off on his fingers getting a blank stare from the Admiral.

"How much do you know about the world?" Aokiji asked looking down at the teen walking beside him.

Ichigo shook his head. "Not much honestly, I'm still not too sure what a Devil Fruit is either." Ichigo admitted putting his hand up to his chin.

Aokiji let out a long exasperated sigh. Looks like he had some explaining to do. How this teen could be so clueless that he didn't even know about the World Government was a mystery to him. Maybe he should ask what his upbringing was like. For all he knew the teen was isolated from the rest of the world and trained in his odd techniques.

Then there was the mention about that Toshiro character….

Ichigo noticed how quiet it had gotten between the two as he felt Aokiji's stare on him. He didn't know what was going through his mind but he was starting to get a little worried.

"Impel Down is the world's most notorious prison, it holds the worst criminals in the world." He began getting a slight widening of the eyes from Ichigo. "The Marine headquarters is… the headquarters of the Marines." Aokiji tried his best to explain such simple places as Ichigo had to stop himself from tripping in the air from the stupid explanation.

"You seriously don't know about the World Government?" Aokiji asked in a disbelieving tone looking at the teen. Ichigo turned his head away from Aokiji's stare.

Aokiji noticed the frown on the teens face as his gaze traveled over the horizon. The look on Ichigo's face wasn't something someone so young should have.

He had seen this before on Marines who had seen their crews die around them leaving them the only survivors. The look on the teens face wasn't any different.

"I'm not from around here alright. My home isn't even on the map." Ichigo tried to explain his reasoning for not knowing simple knowledge about the world.

Aokiji stared at the teens face trying to understand what he meant by those words.

"You were lost right?" Aokiji asked. "Trying to get back home?" Aokiji tried to understand the teen better.

Ichigo tilted his head down as his eyes narrowed remembering the war he had been participating in back in Soul Society. He had been using the mysterious wonders of this world to help distract himself from his memories before he unexpectedly arrived.

Aokiji noticed the frown visible on the teens face. Maybe he pushed the little guy too far.

"I don't have a home to return to." Ichigo admitted as Aokiji frowned at the teens tone.

Ichigo looked up at Aokiji making eye contact with the Admiral.

_What am I going to do with him?_

Aokiji looked away breaking the eye contact.

"Arara, lots of people don't have homes Ichigo. That's why the majority of people become pirates." Aokiji started. "Listen Ichigo, I don't consider myself the best person to give advice, but hear me out." Aokiji stopped his bike surprising Ichigo who stopped walking.

Aokiji fully turned his body to Ichigo, the teen waiting for whatever the Admiral was going to say.

"Try to give purpose to your life. I joined the Marines because I didn't have a home to go to either. I'm not saying you should join the marines because you don't have a home like I did, but what drives you? I noticed on the ship you had a strong sense of protecting others." Aokiji tried to give his best reasoning to the teen.

Ichigo remembered the small speech he gave when he declared he was going to save everyone on the ship when Aokiji threatened the life of the crew. He guess he laid out his emotions on his sleeve didn't he?

"Ever since I was young I always protected others. My mother died when I was young so I was in charge of protecting my two younger sisters." Ichigo felt himself speaking out. He didn't know why he was being open with the Admiral, he had only known him for less than a day.

Maybe he just wanted to talk to someone, about his troubles he was going through. Whatever it was, he could tell while Aokiji's sense of justice was a little wrong, that didn't make him a bad guy. Ichigo always had a good sense of determining others intent when he fought them in battle, and when he fought the Admiral he could tell something else was on his mind.

"So your sense of justice is protecting others. That's not a bad trait to have." Aokiji intentionally avoided mentioning the younger mans sisters. He could only assume the worst happened to them, it wasn't uncommon with all the strange things that happened in the world.

"I guess." Ichigo shrugged. "My name means 'The Number One Protector'. My mother was the one who gave me that name." Ichigo felt a small smile on his face mentioning the reason behind his name.

Aokiji looked down at the teen seeing his small smile. Letting out a sigh he turned back at the horizon, pedaling his bike again.

"Arara, this is getting depressing." Aokiji began. "Let's change the subject. You don't mind right?" The Admiral asked getting a small nod from the teen. "You said you wanted to know about Devil Fruits right?" Aokiji asked getting another nod from the teen.

Ichigo was glad for the short but insightful advice, it helped raise his mood after remembering his sisters. He waited from the Admiral to begin his explanation.

"I ate the Hie Hie no Mi Devil Fruit. It gives me the abilities to turn myself into Ice and freeze things around me." Aokiji began. "There are hundreds of Devil Fruits in the world. Each one grants the person who eats it the ability of the fruit." Aokiji finished. Ichigo's eyebrow raised at the strange explanation.

"You eat a fruit to get those powers? I thought Devil Fruit was just a fancy name, not an actual fruit." Ichigo shook his head trying to understand just what that meant.

"Devil Fruits are rare, most people go their entire lives without seeing it's abilities." Aokiji tried to convince the teen it wasn't common.

"I see." Ichigo nodded not sure what else to say on the matter. He had already met two Devil Fruit users, maybe he was just lucky? Or in this case wouldn't that be unlucky?

"You said Enies Lobby was a courthouse right? Why are we heading there?" Ichigo began, perking up slightly at a foreboding thought. "Don't tell me you are a judge of some kind." Ichigo tried not to imagine Aokiji judging somebody and freezing them with ice. He shivered slightly at that thought.

"Nothing that boring." Aokiji waved off. "There's somebody that's important who's going to be put on trial there. I just got word they are going to take her to Enies Lobby tomorrow." Aokiji said gaining Ichigo's full attention.

_Her?_

"Shouldn't we hurry up than?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask, he didn't mind the leisure pace but if the Admiral needed to be somewhere important than maybe they should go a bit quicker.

"There's no rush little guy. They didn't say I needed to be there for the trial, so we can take our time." Aokiji continued casually pedaling his bike, seemingly in no rush. Ichigo couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Is this another form of your 'Lazy Justice'?" Ichigo asked. Aokiji gave Ichigo a small grin and finger pistol.

"Bingo." Aokiji said glad Ichigo understood the meaning of his justice now. Ichigo felt a tick of irritation on his forehead.

_I really want to hit him._

The two continued their trek across the ocean, the sun started to lower in the sky, leaving beautiful trails of bright red clouds bursting with color. Ichigo couldn't help but notice the sky looked so much bigger in this world.

Ichigo watched as the beautiful atmosphere was ruined as a giant golden colored fish with sharp teeth leaped out of the water a few hundred meters in front of the duo. Ichigo felt his jaw drop at the size of the thing, he had never seen a fish that big in his life. Whales didn't even get that big!

"Ahh, a sea king." Aokiji said casually as Ichigo's head snapped to the Admiral.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Ichigo couldn't help but yell his outstretched hand pointing at the giant fish.

_Sea monsters exist like that in this world! It's bigger than a Menos Grande!_

"What? It's just a small one." Aokiji pointed out getting a disbelieving stare from Ichigo

"Small one?" Ichigo couldn't help but point out as the thing made its descent back into the water. Before hitting the surface a much larger red striped sea king jumped out of the water swallowing the smaller golden colored one.

Ichigo's jaw dropped further seeing the much larger sea monster devour the small one in one gulp.

"Ahh, a bigger one." Aokiji calmed stated as Ichigo palmed his face at the casual response.

"How much bigger are they going to get?" Ichigo said exasperated, this running joke was starting to get old.

It seemed the world wanted to prove it's point at that moment. The large red sea king was swallowed whole as an even larger sea king jumped out of the water. Ichigo wasn't shocked anymore, he was now just annoyed.

_This world is really starting to piss me off._

Ichigo felt his hands reaching for his Zanpakuto. He really wanted to hit something, and this giant fish was the perfect target. Hell if he didn't have enough Reiatsu to use his stronger moves, he'd make do with what he had.

"Arara, there's always a bigger fish." Aokiji stopped his bike letting his foot rest on the Ice beneath him.

"Sorry Ichigo, but could you step back." Aokiji stepped off his bike as the teen understood what he was about to do. Ichigo clicked his tongue annoyed that he couldn't take out some of his anger on the fish, but didn't voice out his annoyance.

Aokiji placed his hand in the water as the Sea King noticed the two oddities on the ocean. Its gigantic form turned creating massive waves as it shot forth at Ichigo and Aokiji.

Ichigo crossed his arms waiting for the Admiral to do whatever he was going to do. He wasn't worried that the Sea King would eat them both, he could always just cut his way out of the fish's stomach, but he trusted the Admiral.

"**Ice Age.**"

Ichigo's trust in the man was rewarded, as the entire ocean in front of them froze, freezing the gigantic form of the sea king. Half of its body was out of the water, frozen in time as its giant maw hung open.

Ichigo looked at the Admiral noticing half of his body was covered in Ice. It seemed whenever he used his abilities they showed on his body.

"Let's keep going." Aokiji stood back up and got back on his bike, continuing his pedaling as if he hadn't just frozen a giant sea monster larger than an ship Ichigo had ever seen.

Ichigo sighed walking beside the Admiral. It seemed he would have to get used to this kind of craziness in his life.

Walking up to the giant form of the frozen sea king, Ichigo's knuckles rapped against the side of the beast.

_Yup, frozen through._

The duo continued their trek over the now frozen ocean.

* * *

The two had arrived at an Island not too long ago. This was the first land Ichigo had seen since arriving to this world. The island was filled with palm trees and a large jungle.

While the sun was in its final descent the duo had spotted the Island. Wanting to have a place to sleep tonight that wasn't a frozen bed in the middle of the ocean, they made their way to land.

Neither Ichigo or Aokiji had any camping supplies, so they would have to do with sleeping out on the ground. Aokiji had found a rather nice spot for where they could sleep, while Ichigo walked into the jungle finding as much sticks and small bits of firewood he could get his hands on before the jungle was completely encased in darkness.

Ichigo made his way back to the spot Aokiji had picked out seeing the tall man sitting on a small log. The man had chosen a spot next to the beach. Aokiji watched as Ichigo placed the sticks into a small pile preparing a spot for the fire.

Ichigo couldn't help but reminisce about the past, the last time he had gone camping he was with his family. He remembered the stupid antics of his father trying to peek on his sisters when they were changing to go swimming in the lake at the time. He had found the perverted goat-chin in the act and beat the older man down as the fight turned into a fully fledged brawl between father and son.

Ichigo had won in the end when Karin had taken it upon herself to double team his father as they gave him a quick beatdown.

Ichigo smiled as he let his mind wander back to the memories of his family. It still hurt remembering he wouldn't see them again, but his father's words in the letter he had kept reminding him not to despair.

"Whats on your mind?" Aokiji asked surprising Ichigo. He guessed he was a little too deep in thought that he was staring at the unlit fire for a while now.

"Just thinking about my family." Ichigo admitted getting an understanding nod from Aokiji. The Admiral noticed the teen had a lot on his mind. Maybe a little relaxation was what he needed to do now.

"Are you going to bring the mood down again?" Aokiji couldn't help but say getting an angry glare from Ichigo.

"I'm only kidding. Chill out." Aokiji tried to calm down the hot headed teen. Ichigo's glare lessened as he sat down on another log Aokiji had set for him.

They both stared at the unlit fire waiting for it to magically start up.

"Ichigo, you have a lighter on you don't you?" Aokiji asked getting a shake of the head from the teen.

"I thought you'd have one." Ichigo admitted as they both realized what that meant.

They had no way to start the fire. Aokiji had rarely made fires, he preferred just going to sleep when arriving at any body of land, not worrying about such small luxuries.

"You could use those swords of yours." Aokiji suggested pointing at the Zanpakuto's leaning against the log Ichigo was sitting on.

Ichigo scowled at the older man before looking down at his Zanpakuto's. He put his hand up to his chin at the suggestion. Maybe just maybe….

After a moment of contemplation Ichigo made up his mind. Clasping his hands together he gave a quick apology to Zangetsu.

"Forgive me." Ichigo spoke up confusing Aokiji, wondering who the teen was apologizing to.

Starting the fire had been easy, Ichigo just hoped that wherever his Zanpakuto spirit was now, that he wouldn't be mad at him for using him as a simple fire starter.

Ichigo and Aokiji both stared at the fire, illuminating the small area around them. The sun had set and the sounds of crickets could be heard coming from the jungle behind them.

Ichigo forgot just how dark it got in the wilderness. Looking up he could see the entire starry night sky. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen so many stars. Kakura Town was close to Tokyo, making it the hotspot of a large concentration of light pollution.

"I mentioned the prisoner that's going to be on trial tomorrow at Enies Lobby." Aokiji started breaking the silence between the two. Ichigo nodded not sure what brought up this topic.

"The truth is I have history with her. I met her once when she was young." Aokiji continued getting a questing gaze from Ichigo.

"Where are you going with this?" Ichigo asked as Aokiji held up his hand stopping the teen from questioning him.

"Just hear me out." Aokiji gestured for Ichigo to relax. Ichigo crossed his arms with his trademark scowl waiting for Aokiji to start his story.

"Her name is Nico Robin. The names probably unfamiliar to you." Aokiji said as Ichigo confirmed with a nod, gesturing him to continue.

"I had met her when she was only 8 years old, 20 years ago." Aokiji began. "I wasn't an Admiral at the time and my position in the Marines wasn't that high. I'll spare you the details but the population living on the island were studying Poneglyphs. Do you know what those are?" Aokiji asked getting another shake of the head from Ichigo.

"Ancient writings from the old world written on stone monoliths. Only a few people alive today know how to read the ancient language. It's against the law to study them. That law was set in place when it was discovered that the Poneglyphs had secrets to blueprints of ancient weapons." Aokiji stopped hoping Ichigo was keeping up with his flow of information.

The teen stared was wide eyed at the Admiral, piecing together the meaning of the story.

"So you went to arrest the island studying these Poneglyphs? Is that where you met Nico Robin?" Ichigo tried to understand what led to Nico Robin being put on trail.

Aokiji frowned. If only it were that simple to arrest an entire island for treason against the World Government.

"We didn't go to arrest them. My superior at the time ordered a Buster Call." Aokiji continued as Ichigo felt something wrong about that name.

"A Buster Call is the complete annihilation of an island by high explosive rounds from cannons." Aokiji explained. Ichigo's eyes shot wide open as he shot up from his seat staring at the Admiral, his scowl etched on his face.

"An entire island was killed, because they could read an ancient language?" Ichigo felt his fist clench trying to understand the stupid reasoning for wiping out an entire island.

"Don't look so mad at me Ichigo. It wasn't my call to make. I didn't agree with the reasoning behind it." Aokiji tried to calm down the teen. Ichigo felt his fist unclench as he seated himself, his scowl still firmly in place.

"The details are complicated, but in the end when there were no survivors, there was one little girl left. Her name was Nico Robin." Aokiji tried to wrap up the story.

"I let her go. I gave her the freedom she wanted in respect to the man trying to save her life." Aokiji felt his a frown cross his face. Ichigo knew he was keeping out a few details but held his tongue.

"She was given a bounty on her head of 79,000,000 Berri at the age of 8. She's the only known person in the world alive who can read the ancient language. While she was escaping from the island my superior saw her and she's been on the run ever since." Aokiji wrapped up his story feeling a lot more tired than he thought he would be.

"So Nico Robin is guilty, for living?" Ichigo tried to understand how absurd that sounded.

Ichigo had to calm himself, it was 20 years ago, there was nothing he could do about it. Aokiji watched as the teen calmed his breathing.

"Why did you tell me this? What does this story have to do with me?" Ichigo wanted the Admiral to give his reason.

Aokiji let out a sigh staring at the fire. Why did he tell Ichigo that story? That was an event he rarely talked about. It was so long ago he forgot it happened some days.

Aokiji looked at the teen noticing his stare on him. What made him trust the teen so much? Was it his determination he had seen when they fought each other? His selflessness when he stood and took his attack head on when it would have killed the pirate crew on the Sexy Foxy?

He wasn't a fool, everyone there during the fight could see Ichigo was barely standing on his own two feet at the time. He had pushed himself past his limits at the time and still stood to protect the pirate crew who saved his life.

"I want to know if you think she's guilty. She's been a pirate on the sea for 20 years going from pirate crew to pirate crew. Every time she met people she was betrayed and forced to continue her life living on the run from the World Government." Aokiji finished as Ichigo felt himself stare at the fire.

"It's simple." Ichigo spoke up surprising Aokiji how quickly he had formed his opinion. "She's innocent." Ichigo crossed his arms looking at Aokiji.

"She was given a bounty on her head for living? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. She was only a kid and she was scared of dying. She doesn't deserve that kind of life." Ichigo shook his head.

Aokiji couldn't help but feel his eyes widen looking at the teen. Even if he hadn't met her and didn't know the full story he was certain she was innocent.

Aokiji couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his throat catching Ichigo's attention.

"Well we will see tomorrow when we arrive at Enies Lobby if she's innocent or not." Aokiji sat up from his log and started to settle himself on the ground, using his jacket of his suit as a pillow he lowered his head down ready to go to sleep.

"Get some sleep Ichigo." Aokiji said putting his sleeping mask over his face. Ichigo sighed before standing up and tried to get as comfortable as he could on the ground.

He was still thinking about what Aokiji had told him. A girl on the run for her entire life because she could read an ancient language? It wasn't like she was trying to make those ancient weapons, whatever they were with her knowledge.

Her entire island had been murdered by Aokiji's superior. Was the World Government seriously that ruthless? Looking at Aokiji he could tell while he had a lazy personality, he still had a strong sense of justice. How could he have let something like that happen? He hoped he could learn more about it tomorrow.

Ichigo could only shiver wondering what other atrocities happened because of the World Government. If that was the case he'd do something about it to change it. Aokiji had taken him in not a subordinate, but something else. Ichigo didn't exactly know what the Admiral wanted from him, but he would stick with the man until he figured out his new path in life.

Ichigo still had many questions plaguing his mind, but learning too much in such a short amount of time wasn't healthy. He'd learn more about this strange pirate world tomorrow, and maybe he could learn more about this Nico Robin.

Ichigo felt his eyes close as he let his mind drift off falling asleep to the sound of chirping crickets.

* * *

The sun rose early on the nameless island. Ichigo woke up stretching slightly, looking around he had forgotten he had fallen asleep on the ground. Looking over he saw Aokiji still sleeping.

Standing up he reached for his backpack, grabbing a container of water he greedily drank its contents. The fire had gone out some time during the night leaving only a pile of charred sticks.

An hour passed as Ichigo and Aokiji were making their way to Enies Lobby. Aokiji had woken up a little after Ichigo. The Admiral asked Ichigo if he could have some of his water and food saying he had run out of provisions the day earlier. Ichigo merely shook his head sharing his meal and water with the Admiral.

After the small fiasco of breakfast they were traveling again. Ichigo felt more of his Reiatsu had returned to his body. Yesterday's sores were still aching his body but he ignored them for now.

"How much longer until we get there?" Ichigo asked his taller companion.

Aokiji looked up at the sun noticing the position of the sun.

"We should be close now, look at the sun. See anything different?" Aokiji pointed up as Ichigo craned his neck upwards.

Nothing looked different, but the sun was directly above them. That couldn't be right, it wasn't even noon yet when the sun rose.

"Now that you mention it, something's strange about it." Ichigo couldn't quite figure out what the Admiral meant by that.

"Enies Lobby has another name, it's called Never-Night Island. The sun never sets here." Aokiji explained. Ichigo felt his concentration slip as he almost fell into the water below him.

"W-wait a moment!" Ichigo shouted getting Aokiji's full attention. "The sun never sets!? How is that possible!?" Ichigo shouted as Aokiji had to cover his ears.

"Chill out Ichigo. I don't know the reason behind it, but the Grand Line is full of mysterious places. It's not that special." Aokiji tried to play it off as he continued pedaling his bike.

Ichigo was about to retort, but felt himself hold back his shout. If Aokiji didn't know the reason behind the oddity, than there was no reason to be angry.

"This Grand Line is going to be the death of me." Ichigo shook his head following after Aokiji.

"Don't jinx yourself." Aokiji joked. His demeanor didn't change so Ichigo wasn't sure if the Admiral was serious or not.

A few minutes passed as the once beautiful blue sky began to fade away as dark clouds filled up the sky. A low mist hugged the surface of the water, making it impossible to see over the horizon any further.

"So much for the nice weather." Ichigo couldn't help but comment.

Aokiji didn't respond as his eyes narrowed on the horizon. Through the thick fog they could see some visible shapes.

Ichigo's eyes widened as the fog was swept away by the wind revealing the scene at hand.

The first thing that caught his attention was the gigantic door. It must have been at least 1000 meters tall. His jaw dropped at the size of it.

_The doors into the Seireitei weren't even this big!_

It was incredibly odd because it was out in the middle of the ocean. The next thing that caught his attention was the smoke rising from the island in front of the gigantic door. The entire Island was on fire, huge plumes of smoke rising from it.

Ichigo's eyes scanned the water seeing massive ships with even bigger cannons on them. These ships dwarfed the Sexy Foxy by a long shot. The ships seemed to be in distress as whirlpools surrounded the ships.

"What the hell is going on!?" Ichigo half yelled staring at Aokiji. He didn't respond but his eyes were watching something on the water. Ichigo followed his gaze spotting the small oddity in the water.

Between the massive ships there was a smaller ship, it had a strange goat head on the front, but it was tackling the waves and whirlpools on the water without a problem.

"So they did the impossible." Aokiji commented confusing Ichigo.

"What are you talking about? What happened to the island!?" Ichigo pointed out trying to get a reaction from the Admiral. This wasn't normal was it?

Aokiji stopped his bike on the water as Ichigo stopped beside him.

"Just watch." Aokiji said as Ichigo complied and kept his mouth shut, watching the scene play out.

The massive ships shot cannonball after cannonball at the smaller ship. The smaller ship using it smaller size against the bigger ships as it twisted and turned around the bigger ships avoiding every cannonball directed at it.

All of a sudden a massive jet of gray smoke shot out of the end of the ship sending the ship airborne. Ichigo had to rub his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The ship was in fact flying in the sky.

Another trail of smoke shot off of the ship spinning in circles before hitting the water, this time exploding creating a giant smokescreen between the smaller ship and the bigger ships.

"What am I looking at?" Ichigo tried to stop his jaw from dropping but there was so much happening his brain had a hard time processing it all.

The bigger ships had a hard time navigating around the smokescreen, unable to follow the smaller ship any longer. Aokiji and Ichigo watched as the smaller ship landed on the water with a large splash keeping its momentum as it sailed away from the chaos behind them.

Ichigo heard the distinct sound of a locomotive engine in the distance, turning his gaze his jaw dropped again seeing a steam engine train riding across the surface of the water. He could clearly see two giants sitting on the back of the train.

Ichigo felt a headache coming, putting his fingers up to his forehead he hoped a small massage on his temples would help his growing headache.

Aokiji didn't respond to Ichigo's comments, instead reaching into his front coat pocket and taking out a snail. Ichigo's eyes widened on the strange creature, seeing a button on the back of its shell.

Ichigo really tried to stop his headache from getting worse, but the world stopped making less and less sense.

Aokiji pushed the button on the back of the snail as it's eyes opened.

"Report." Aokiji said simply into the snail. Ichigo was about to ask what the hell the Admiral was doing before something happened that questioned Ichigo's sanity for the hundredth time since arriving to this world.

The snail talked.

"You were here sir?" The snail spoke, having a much deeper voice than he thought a snail would have.

"It spoke!" Ichigo shouted pointing at the snail in Aokiji's hand. The Admiral turned his head to Ichigo giving him a questioning gaze.

"It's a den den mushi, haven't you seen one before?" Aokiji asked the teen. Ichigo vigorously shook his head.

_Wait, den den? It's like a phone?_

So it wasn't the snail talking, it was the person on the other end of the…...snail line. Ichigo palmed his face at the stupidity of it.

"Who's that with you Admiral?" The snail questioned.

"It doesn't matter. Continue." Aokiji waited from whoever was on the other end to reply.

"Ohh right. We're still going to go after them! We can't let it end like this!" The snail shouted, its eyes comically conveying the emotion of the speaker on the other end of the line.

"No matter what the marines- No, the World Government must do, we'll stop those Straw Hat pirates! No matter what!" The snail shouted. Ichigo perked up at the mention of the Straw Hat pirates. Hadn't that been the crew that fought against the Foxy pirates? Were they the ones on that ship that escaped just now?

What were they doing here?

"We'll make sure to capture the criminal, Nico Robin!" The snail finished with a shout. Ichigo perked up again at the mention of the name Aokiji had told him about last night.

_She escaped?_

Had the Straw Hat pirates rescued Nico Robin from her trial? That sounded oddly like something he would do. It reminded him of the time he broke into Soul Society to rescue Rukia. Maybe Nico Robin really was innocent.

It seemed the person on the other end of the line wasn't done speaking as he heard the familiar shout from the snail start again.

"We'll get more battleships, and more soldiers, and -" The snail continued but was cut off by Aokiji interjecting.

"It's fine." Aokiji started closing his eyes.

"But-!" The snail tried to respond, but was cut off again by Aokiji.

It didn't take a genius to realize what had happened here, even not knowing the full situation the Straw Hats had saved Nico Robin from imprisonment, and the director had ordered a Buster Call on the island.

The smoke and fire was the same as it was on Ohara all those years ago, he could never forget such a scene.

"Even with a national level Buster Call, looking at this fleet, as well as the state, Its obvious." Aokiji spoke into the snail phone. Ichigo's eyes widened at the mention of the Buster Call. He looked back at the island on fire and narrowed his eyes.

_So this is the destruction from a Buster Call?_

It was only pure destruction, there was no visible land left to stand on anymore. Whatever this island used to look like, it was now a shell of its former self.

"This was our complete defeat." Aokiji spoke finishing his call. Pushing the button on the snail he ended the transmission before the person on the other line could retort.

"What's happening?" Ichigo lowered his voice, he had somehow calmed himself from all the nonsense happening around him.

Aokiji let out a sigh before turning his gaze to Ichigo.

"It seems Nico Robin was saved by the Straw Hat pirates. We can learn the details later." Aokiji had a feeling he knew where they would be going.

Ichigo turned his head still able to see the pirate ship in the distance.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Ichigo asked. He had no place to act in this situation, because he didn't know the details. He didn't know if the Straw Hat pirates were in the wrong or not. If Nico Robin was guilty or not, it had nothing to do with him. He wasn't a marine so he wouldn't act.

"There's no need. I already know where they are going. Besides, I believe our ride is here." Aokiji turned his head away from the disappearing form of the pirate ship.

Ichigo followed his gaze spotting a giant dark green colored ship with a large dog head with a bone in its mouth on the front of the ship. It had multiple sails and dwarfed many other of the ships around them.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Ichigo heard a boisterous laugh coming from the ship. Tilting his head he spotted a tall man standing on the front of the ship. He wore a white suit like Aokiji with a large white trench coat.

"Looks like you need a ride down there, ehhh Aokiji?" The large man shouted. As the ship got closer Ichigo was able to see his face clearer. He was on the older side, he had a full white head of hair with a matching white beard.

_He reminds me of someone…_

Ichigo watched as a small smile was on Aokiji's face hearing the large man call his name.

"And looks like you have a friend with you! Since when did you take in strays? Ha Ha Ha!" The man shouted again as Ichigo felt his eye twitch the at the unintentional insult towards him.

_A stray?_

"It's nothing like that." Aokiji shouted back. "But we'll take you up on that offer, Garp."

* * *

**Authors Notes**

**Shorter chapter but I wanted to push the story further again. **

**No action again this chapter. Sorry about that!**

**Updates might slow down for a while. I'm moving to a new apartment and I don't know how busy I will be.**

**Leave a review and point out any spelling mistakes.**

**Until next time.**


	8. Vice-Admiral on Deck

**Another chapter for you guys. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**One Piece and Bleach both belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Ichigo waited as the ship got closer to them, watching as the ship was closer than 20 meters in front of the duo.

"Did you say Garp?" Ichigo asked his taller companion.

Aokiji remembered Ichigo's lack of knowledge of everything in this world. This was certainly going to be a problem in the future if every single thing needed to be explained to the teen, even though he had already had to explain almost every small detail to the teen.

"He's Vice-Admiral Garp, one rank below me. Don't let his rank fool you, he's considered a hero throughout the world. Only reason he's not an Admiral is because he doesn't want to be one." Aokiji tried to explain to his clueless friend.

"Ohh." Ichigo didn't know what else to say, not knowing what classified someone as a hero in this world. Ichigo himself had been called 'The Hero of The Winter War' many times by the Shinigami from Soul Society, and getting teased a few times by his friends for the heroic name. Garp must of done something pretty important to gain that title, and plenty strong to be on Aokiji's level of strength.

"Let's go Ichigo." Aokiji spoke up as he got off his bike pushing it beside him on the frozen ocean. Following behind the Admiral they were now standing directly next to the front of the ship.

As if on queue a small wooden platform using a pulley rope system dropped in front of them being controlled by two plain looking marines. Ichigo noticed the clothes they were wearing was some kind of variant of the suit Aokiji was wearing. He could read the plain english text 'Marine' written on the back of the suits.

"Ahh thank you." Aokiji casually thanked the two marines who gave the taller man a salute. Ichigo could see how nervous the two marines were being so close to the Admiral, both had small amounts of sweat on their foreheads.

Not noticing or caring about the small distress the Marines were in, Aokiji walked through the small wooden gate a marine had opened for him as he awkwardly lifted his bike over the small wall placing it on the platform.

"You going to stand there all day Ichigo?" Aokiji spoke up getting Ichigo's attention. The teen shook himself out of his thoughts as he followed behind the Admiral, getting curious stares from the two marines operating the small platform. Their eyes mainly locked on the large sword wrapped in cloth on his back. They looked up and down his form at the odd clothes he was wearing, with the strange armor adorned on his chest.

Ichigo paid them no mind, stepping on the platform scooting himself next to the Admiral. The marines gave a shout above them signaling everyone was on. The platform jerked up before it began its ascent upwards.

A moment passed as the ride came to a sudden stop as they reached the top.

Ichigo stared in shock as he looked at the deck of the ship. He couldn't see it from the angle when he was on the water, but from here he could clearly see in the center of the ship was what looked like a house.

It had yellow walls and a red roof. It had an odd resemblance to a dog house. Ichigo couldn't stop his eye from twitching at the odd theme of the ship spotting even smaller dog houses along the many large mast.

_A dog themed ship? What the hell…_

Aokiji stepped off the platform carrying his bike. Looking around the deck he spotted a few marines close by waiting for orders. Ichigo watched as he set down his bike pushing it to the marines directing them to place it somewhere.

From where he was standing he could clearly see the sweat drops on the marines faces as they were given the bike, seemingly dumbfounded by the size of it. They gave a quick salute to the Admiral before they wheeled off the bike disappearing into the back of the ship.

"Ha Ha Ha! It's been a while hasn't it Aokiji!" Ichigo heard a shout come from the front of the ship. Ichigo turned around catching sight of the man he had seen on the front of the ship prior. He was tall, not as tall as Aokiji but still dwarfed himself by a large margin.

Ichigo was starting to feel self conscious about his height, was everyone in this freaky world taller than him?

"It has been a while hasn't it Garp." Aokiji walked up to the large man shaking his hand. Ichigo watched the exchange feeling out of place in this situation, they were looking at each other like old friends, Aokiji with his more casual smile and Garp with his huge grin.

"I would ask what you are doing here, but I'm certain I already know the answer." Aokiji stopped the handshake getting another boisterous laugh from Garp. The white bearded man would never pass up an opportunity like this to see his grandson, the exact pirate that had escaped on the pirate ship earlier.

"Ha Ha Ha! It was that obvious, huh?" Garp laughed again before turning his head towards Ichigo. The teen caught the older man's stare narrowing his eyes slightly on the teen. Ichigo held his gaze not faltering in the slightest.

He felt a weird vibe coming from the white bearded older man. It was a different feeling to when he first met Aokiji. It was a pricking sensation on his senses. Whatever it was he had no idea what it meant.

"Who might this be?" Garp asked Aokiji directing his gaze to the smaller teen.

"Ichigo?" Aokiji said hoping the teen could state the older man's curiosity.

The teen let out a sigh seeing he had to introduce himself. "Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said plainly. "Kuzan here invited me to travel with him." Ichigo pointed his thumb towards the Admiral in question, explaining his reason for traveling with him.

"Ho Ho Ho?" Garp couldn't help but grin turning to his old friend. "Must be pretty close to be on a first name basis. Ha Ha Ha!" He laughed boisterously patted the teens back with his large hands, his sword and small backpack digging into his back. Ichigo felt himself wince at the strength of the larger man, feeling his aches burn slightly.

"Well that's part of the story, I'll explain later. For now we should discuss our next move." Aokiji gestured they should speak somewhere more private. Garp understanding the sensitivity of the information they would be discussing went to follow after him.

"I'll lead you to my quarters. Your friend can stay here, get used to the ship. Koby! Helmeppo! Get over here!" Garp shouted getting a shout in response.

Stepping forward was a moderately tall teen. He had a young face with pink hair, glasses resting on his forehead over a bandanna, and a short blue scarf replacing the normal tie on the marine uniforms.

"Yes Vice-Admiral!" He snapped a quick salute to his commanding officer.

"Where's Helmeppo? He should be out here on deck." Garp scanned the crowd not finding the man in question.

"He was training below deck last time I saw him." Koby admitted letting his arms rest. The two had become very close friends after going through Garp's hellish training program to make them stronger, Helmeppo felt he was trailing behind Koby so he was putting in extra hours for training.

Garp grinded his teeth seemingly upset with the response.

"Doesn't he know we are on high alert. Well it doesn't matter." Garp turned away from the pink haired teen. Koby let out a sigh of relief glad he didn't get chewed out for his friends ignorance.

"Make sure to take care of our guest here. Get him a new pair of clothes as well." Garp instructed the pink haired teen. "Ohh and inform Helmeppo that I have a special training session in mind for his absence. Ha Ha Ha!" Garp laughed, the Marines shivered know exactly what that meant.

Koby gulped shivering slightly praying his friend would survive a special training session from Vice-Admiral Garp himself. "Yes Sir!" Koby gave another quick salute.

"Wait wait wait!" Ichigo shouted getting everyone's attention on deck. "New pair of clothes? What wrong with these that I'm wearing?" Ichigo interjected feeling a bit insulted. The Haori was was wearing did stick out among the white suits of the navy but they were the only clothes he had left.

Aokiji shook his head catching Garp's meaning before stepping forward catching the teens attention.

"Ichigo, when was the last time you washed them? You may not have noticed but they are starting to smell." Aokiji pointed out. Ichigo curiously raised his brow before putting his arm up to his face sniffing the cloth.

He grimaced smelling his own clothes, it seemed all fighting he did the past few days built up a small stench coming from the black cloth.

"Ohh." Was all Ichigo could voice out, the marines standing close to him seemed to take a step back away from him, expecting the smell to be bad.

"What about you!" Ichigo pointed his hand at the Admiral. "You've been wearing the same suit as well. Doesn't that smell?" Ichigo asked glancing up and down Aokiji's suit seeing if there was anything wrong with it.

The Marines watching took another step back, they hadn't ever seen an Admiral treated this way before and they were starting to fear for the orange haired teens life. Koby was looking at the new teen in a different light, the way he casually talked to the Admiral reminded him of somebody.

The Admiral looked down at his suit disinterested in what the teen was yelling about.

"A side effect of the Hie Hie no Mi is I don't sweat. I rarely have to clean my clothes, unless they get dirty." Aokiji casually explained as the Marines listening didn't know what to do with that kind of information. Guess they had less laundry to do.

Ichigo felt like he lost this short argument palming his face from asking the Admiral such a stupid question.

"Forget I asked." Ichigo tried to regain his dignity. The whole crew was watching so they probably thought he was some kind of idiot.

Ichigo couldn't be farther from the truth, most of the Marines were dumbfounded that somebody could speak to an Admiral like that and live to tell the tale.

"Ha Ha Ha!" Was the familiar boisterous laughter from the Vice-Admiral. "You two get along pretty well! I see why you took him in, quite an energetic kid!" Garp laughed. Ichigo noticed almost all he did was grin and laugh, but he couldn't help but feel like Garp reminded him of somebody.

"I'll explain later, shall we?" Aokiji gestured for the two to move into the ship.

"Take good care of our guest." Garp commanded one more time to the marines, getting a quick salute in response. Garp lead Aokiji into the front door of the dog house building as the Admiral and Vice-Admiral vanished inside.

Ichigo sighed realizing that he was just ditched by the Admiral.

The marine Garp had called out earlier walked up to the orange haired teen putting out his hand.

"Sorry about that. Garp may seem rude but he's a good guy. You probably heard my name earlier but I'll introduce myself. My name's Koby." The pinked haired teen smiled as Ichigo took his hand in his own, a lesser scowl on his face.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. It's fine honestly, I'm used to that kind of attitude." Ichigo tried to convince Koby it wasn't a problem.

"I'd say, the way you spoke with the Admiral really surprised me. Let's walk and talk. I don't want to explain to Garp why I'm doing my job so slowly." Koby scratched his head gesturing for Ichigo to follow him.

"Huh? It surprised you?" Ichigo asked curiously following in step behind Koby.

"Hmm how can I say this." Koby scratched his head in thought trying to think of the right words to say. "I've never seen someone casually talk to an Admiral like that before." Koby opened the door to the dog house waiting for Ichigo to follow behind him.

"Just forget what I yelled at him okay?" Ichigo tried to defend his dignity. Koby chuckled slightly leading Ichigo deeper into the ship.

"If you insist." Koby shrugged. "So what's your relation with the Admiral? With those swords I'm guessing you are a Bounty Hunter right?" Koby's eyes were on the large sword on the orange haired teens back.

"Bounty Hunter?" Ichigo's eyebrow rose at the odd profession. "Not at all. Kuzan asked me to travel with him after he found me on a Pirate ship." Ichigo explained. Koby's eyes widened before turning towards Ichigo.

"You're a pirate?" Koby asked stopping in the hallway as Ichigo shook his head.

"Do I look like one to you?" Ichigo scowled causing the pink haired teen to gulp slightly.

"Pirates come in all shapes and sizes. I didn't mean to be rude. I've met a few really nice pirates, that's how I became a marine." Koby tried to explain to Ichigo. Koby could see the look of irritation on the orange haired teens face, hoping not to make him angrier.

"Are you joining the marines?" Koby asked trying to change the subject. Traveling with an Admiral he thought maybe he'd be interested.

"Not really. I haven't decided yet." Ichigo replied surprising Koby. "The pirates I met weren't that bad either." Ichigo continued on the previous topic. "A little strange but they didn't treat me badly." Ichigo thought back to the Foxy pirates he had left behind.

_New world huh? Maybe I'll try to keep that promise to Porche._

Koby smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Ichigo noticed he had a habit of doing that a lot with their small talk.

"Yeah, my life was saved by pirates a while back. I made a promise to one of them next time I see him I'll be an Admiral. There I go again blurting out my dream." A small blush dusted the pink haired teens cheeks as he rigidly continued his walk down the hallway.

Ichigo followed behind him wondering what kind of meeting with a pirate saving your life could lead him to joining the marines, the exact opposite of the spectrum.

His eyes widened when he realized he had the same turn of events since he arrived at this world. Being saved by the Foxy pirates and joining Aokiji on his adventures.

Ichigo groaned palming his face as the duo walked down a set of stairs, getting curious states from the marines they passed. It seemed the circumstances between the two weren't that different.

"So you want to be like Kuzan huh?" Ichigo spoke up breaking the short silence between the two.

Koby turned back to Ichigo with a small smile on his face.

"Well, something like that." Koby let out a small laugh before stopping suddenly at a door. "Here we are, Garp ordered me to get you a new pair of clothes. All we have on the ship are marine uniforms. You won't mind right?" Koby said waiting for Ichigo's response. He eyed the odd clothes Ichigo was wearing, they were incredibly unique, most likely custom made to fit the teen.

Ichigo looked up and down Kobys uniform, if that's what he had to wear before his Haori was cleaned, he could put up with it.

"I don't mind." Ichigo shrugged signaling Koby to continue. He nodded opening the door entering followed by Ichigo.

He noticed the racks of white uniforms with black pants hung up on the walls. There must have been hundreds of spare uniforms. Did a single ship seriously need so many spare uniforms?

"Fran! Are you back there?" Koby yelled towards the back end of the room.

A moment passed before a muffled shout responded. Opening a small wooden door in the back an old man with a hunch stepped into the room, he had a full head of white hair, and a walking cane in his hand.

"What did I tell you Koby? Knock first!" The old man shouted trying to hit Koby with his walking cane as the pink haired teen comically dodged the attacks.

"I'm sorry! It's important so I forgot!" Koby shouted trying to stop the old man from attacking him further. That seemed to catch the old man's attention as he stopped his assault.

"Ohh? And what might that be?" He said narrowing his eyes on the pink haired teen. Koby felt a bead of sweat travel down his brow from the intense stare from the old man.

"Vice-Admiral Garp ordered me to have Admiral Aokiji's guest here a custom made new uniform." Koby explained gesturing to Ichigo.

Ichigo perked up at the mention of a custom made uniform.

_Garp didn't say that. _

He shrugged, he guessed a custom made uniform was better than any of the normal ones the other marines had.

The orange haired teen watched the whole exchange between the older man and the pink haired teen with slight interest. It seemed no matter wherever he went in this world there were interesting characters with unique personalities.

"So the Admiral's on board." The old man rubbed his chin curiously staring at the teen. "Well I need to take some measurements." In a flash Ichigo felt himself get assaulted from every angle as the old man moved faster than he thought a man his age could, using a tape measure he had measured every inch of Ichigo.

In an instant the old man was done writing down the teens measurements on a piece of paper before using various equipment in the room already putting together Ichigo's uniform.

"What the hell old man!" Ichigo yelled not expecting the speed he possessed. "You could have just asked!" Ichigo shouted. The old man ignored his retort as he continued his work.

"Would have taken too long." The old man didn't look up from his work as he moved on to the pants. In a flash the uniform was done and was hanging up on a hanger next to the old man's desk. A pair of shoes with socks in them rested below the hanging clothes.

"I'll be in the back." And he was gone. Ichigo tried to keep his jaw from dropping as Koby watched his reaction chuckling slightly.

"Don't let him get to you. He's always like that. A bit shy too." Koby walked over picking up the uniform, it looked like an exact replica of his own uniform.

"Well what's done is done." Koby murmured handing Ichigo the uniform. Ichigo's scowl lessened as he took his new clothes.

"Old man!" Ichigo shouted towards the back. "Thanks!" He didn't know if he could hear him but he still was thankful, no matter how rude the procedure was.

A moment passed as he got no response, sighing he looked at Koby.

"Where can I get changed?" He asked looking around the room.

"There's a small storage room right here." Koby pointed to the side of the room. "I'll wait out here for you to change." He explained as Ichigo nodded, picking up the shoes. He slung the backpack off his back placing it by the door.

Ichigo entered the room closing the door behind him, there was a small light illuminating the room as he glanced around. The room was unkempt as brooms and mops leaned against the walls.

Ignoring the decor he went about taking off his Haori, unslinging and leaning his Zanpakuto's against the wall first. The armor part on his chest was always a bit tricky, while it wasn't metal it was flexible, pulling it over his head he put it down on the ground. The rest of the Haori was easier to get off.

After that was done he stared at the white suit in his hand, the large 'Marine' letters were written on the back as he rolled his eyes. Maybe he could ask that old man to cover that.

It was a strange suit, having a large zipper on the front instead of the normal buttons he was familiar with. He had no trouble getting it on, putting on a plain white t-shirt on under it, even the plain looking shoes fit perfectly.

_That strange old man knows his stuff._

Raising his arms, doing a few stretches he noticed the suit didn't strain or rip. Shrugging he reached into his Haori pulling out the letter Urahara's had left him, placing it into the front pocket of his suit.

Zipping up the 'suit' halfway he ignored the ribbon that was supposed to be tied around his neck, leaving it on the hanger.

Looking down at himself, satisfied with his new clothes, and picked up the cloth parts of his Haori pushing open the door, leaving his Zanpakuto's and armor parts in the room.

Koby perked up from his chair standing up looking up and down Ichigo's form examining the new clothes closer.

"Are you sure you aren't joining the marines? That fits you perfectly." Koby said giving the orange haired teen a thumbs up.

Ichigo scowled at the comment. He wasn't going to join the Marines just because he so happened to look good in a uniform.

"As if." Ichigo scoffed. "Where can I wash these?" Ichigo changed the subject of his new clothes gesturing to his older ones. Koby shook his head seeing his compliment had been ignored.

"You can leave them in the basket there, I explained to Fran while you were changing, since you are a special case they will be washed separately." Koby pointed to the side of the room. Ichigo walked over dropping his Haori into the basket.

"They will be ready tomorrow." Koby tried to reassure the orange haired teen.

Ichigo let out a sigh looking down at the pile of his clothes.

"It's just…" Ichigo began catching Koby's attention as his tone had changed. "These clothes are special to me." Ichigo finished surprising Koby. The pink haired teen looked down at the odd black and white Haori.

Ichigo jumped slightly feeling Kobys hand place itself on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Fran's the best at what he does. Your clothes as strange as they are will be fine." Koby tried to reassure Ichigo. The orange haired teens eyes narrowed on the marine.

"You don't need to insult them." Ichigo scowled as Koby put his hands up in the air trying to defend himself.

"I didn't mean to. They are just really unique, I've never seen anything like them." Koby cringed slightly hearing his excuse.

Ichigo let out a sigh before shrugging.

"I guess they are. So now what? Do we go back up on deck?" Ichigo asked the pink haired teen.

Koby was about to agree but remembered his friend Helmeppo cringing slightly, remembering Vice-Admiral Garp's punishment he had in mind.

"I should tell Helmeppo about his punishment. Follow me." Koby opened the door as Ichigo held out his hand stopping the pink haired teen from leaving.

"One second." Ichigo walked back into the storage closet grabbing his larger Zanpakuto slinging it over his shoulder as it rested on his back, securing his shorter Zanpakuto to his hip. Picking up the armor chest piece he walked out of the storage room placing it next to the basket he put his Haori in.

With Ichigo's back facing Koby, the pink haired teen finally got a good look at the size of the sword. He had seen other Vice-Admirals with larger swords before, but they were to accommodate for their large size, but for Ichigo's size it was impressive if he could swing a sword that big around.

"Shall we?" Koby asked holding the door open for Ichigo. He looked down at his backpack, be decided he would grab it later.

Getting a nod from the orange haired teen they walked together down the hallway deeper into the ship.

The duo got curious stares from the passing marines, mainly staring at the orange haired teens large sword resting on his back.

It didn't take long to arrive at the door as Koby stopped in his tracks.

"This is it." Koby pushed open the door as Ichigo read the sign above him.

**Training Room**

Shrugging Ichigo followed behind Koby as he got a full view of the room. It was spacious, wooden swords lined up against the walls. It reminded him more of a dojo back in Soul Society, when he trained with the 11th division.

He noticed a single individual in the room. He wasn't as tall as Ichigo was, he had long blonde hair, a long face and butt shaped chin, black pants and a green vest. He was swinging around two odd shaped swords, if Ichigo could guess the swords looked very middle eastern, by his standards at least.

"Helmeppo!" Koby shouted stopping the blonde haired man from continuing his next swing. He let his swords loosen from his grip as he turned to the pink and orange haired duo.

"Koby. What's going on? Who's this?" Helmeppo walked over to the side of the room putting down his swords, he grabbed a towel wiping the sweat from his face.

"You were supposed to be on deck earlier. We were on high alert and you weren't at your station." Koby started scolding his friend. Helmeppo eyes comically shot out of his head as he heard that information.

"Crap! I was training so hard I forgot! Is Vice-Admiral Garp mad?" Helmeppo comically fell to his knees in despair expecting the worst.

Koby walked over patting the blond haired man on the back. "He said you owe him a special training session tomorrow." Koby informed Helmeppo with a small smile, praying for his safety.

Helmeppo lost all his strength as he laid out completely on the wooden floor. "I'm going to die." He cried out as comically large tears started rolling down his face.

Ichigo cringed watching the blonde man's reaction to training. Just what kind of hellish training was he going to be put through? It couldn't be worse than when he learned Zangetsu's name could it?

"Ohh! This is Ichigo, he was travelling with Admiral Aokiji, they both arrived around half an hour ago." Koby explained as Helmeppo's eyes shot out of his heads even further. Ichigo had to do a double take, his eyes were actually trying to leave his head.

_What the hell is wrong with everyone here in this world!?_

"The Admiral's here too!? Koby, if I die please bury me with honor." Helmeppo despaired as Koby continued to pat his friend on his back, giving him support.

"There's no need to be so dramatic." Koby tried to comfort his friend, trying to not make a scene in front of Ichigo.

The door opened behind Ichigo breaking the three occupants of the room out of their stupor as they turned to the door. Helmeppo's eyes threatened to shoot out of his head again as he saw who it was. The large form of Garp somehow squeezed into the room with his signature grin on his face.

"Knew I would find you three here." Garp began looking over the room, his eyes stopped seeing the uniform Ichigo was wearing. Putting his hand to his chin he looked up and down inspecting it.

After a few moments he gave a comedic thumbs up.

"Glad you joined the marines, Ichigo!" He laughed boisterously as Ichigo felt his scowl harden glaring at the older man.

"Like hell I did!" Ichigo shouted gaining a hardy laugh from Garp.

"Ha Ha Ha! I'm only kidding. I heard a lot about you from Aokiji, says you are pretty strong." Garp said as the teen noticed a twinkle in his eye that wasn't there moments prior. Ichigo's scowl lessened as his eyes narrowed on the white bearded man.

_What is he up to?_

Ichigo looked behind Garp expecting Aokiji to be with him, not seeing the familiar frizzy haired man he questioned Garp.

"Where's Kuzan?" Ichigo asked Garp as the man stopped his laughing.

"K-Kuzan!?" Ichigo heard Helmeppo whisper loudly behind him as Koby tried to cover his mouth, telling him to be quiet.

"Ohh him? He went to go take a nap." Garp said disinterested as he crossed his arms looking at the two marines in the room.

Ichigo's fist clenched as he felt a tick of irritation on his forehead, his scowl back in full force.

"Of course that Idiot would take a nap in the middle of the day." Ichigo let out an explosive sigh trying to calm himself. He was getting worked up again over something so stupid.

"Ha Ha Ha! He hasn't changed one bit! Now then, Helmeppo." Garp started gaining the blonde haired man's full attention. He visibly gulped, expecting the worst from his commanding officer.

"Y-yes sir!" Helmeppo rigidly stood up giving a sloppy quick salute.

Garp only shook his head, he thought he trained this numbskull better than this.

"You probably heard from Koby that I have a special training course in mind for you tomorrow, for your absence earlier." Garp started getting a nod from Helmeppo. Koby gulped scooting away from his blonde haired friend.

"Yes sir!" He repeated still saluting the Vice-Admiral.

"I'm going to give you a chance to opt out of your training session on one condition!" Garp spoke up catching Helmeppo's full attention. Garp turned around facing Ichigo pointing his finger at the orange haired teen. "If you can beat Aokiji's subordinate Ichigo in a fight, I'll let you off scot free." Garp grinned at his planning.

Ichigo scowled as he felt himself dragged into this situation.

"Wait a moment! I didn't agree to this!" Ichigo shouted earning a loud laugh from Garp.

"You may have earned Aokiji's respect, but this is my ship so you have to follow my rules! No freeloaders!" Garp shouted gaining a tick of irritation from Ichigo.

The teen scowled but ultimately understood Garp's words. He didn't want him just to be a normal passenger on the ship that didn't help the crew in anyway. He understood it, but it didn't help his irritation directed at the older man.

"Fine." Ichigo threw his hands up in the air. "When do we start?" Ichigo asked crossing his arms, mimicking Garp's stance.

"Whenever you want to. Helmeppo?" Garp said gaining the blonde haired man's attention. It seemed he gained a second wind as he walked over to the wall grabbing his two large swords. His attitude did a full 180 as he was now grinning staring at the teen.

"So I just need to beat you to save my hide." Helmeppo grinned. Ichigo scowled, did the he really think that he would beat him that easily.

Ichigo walked to the center of the room a few meters away from Helmeppo, reaching for both his Zanpakuto, his right hand gripping his larger sword's handle on his back, while his left hand gripped the smaller swords grip on his waist.

"Vice-Admiral, what will happen if Ichigo loses this fight?" Koby questioned his superior as Garp thought for a few moments.

"He will take Helmeppo's place in my training! Ha Ha Ha!" Garp laughed gaining a wide smile from Helmeppo. Ichigo scowled at the white bearded man, he didn't need whatever training the old man had in store for him, he was strong enough already.

"Sorry Ichigo, but I won't hold back." Helmeppo grinned as Ichigo rolled his eyes at the threat.

Garp stood off to the side of the wall next to Koby as they prepared to watch the fight between the two.

"Ready!" Garp held up his hand waiting to signal the start of the fight. Both fighters nodded preparing themselves. Garp nodded throwing his hand down. "Begin!" He shouted.

Helmeppo shot forward spinning both his swords in his hand as Ichigo watched his approach, both his Zanpakuto still undrawn. The man was moving fast, but to Ichigo, he might as well been moving at a snail's pace. His speed was impressive, compared to a lower seat of Soul Society.

_Slow._

The cloth magically unwrapped around the larger blade on Ichigo's back as he swung it forward stopping the momentum of the blade in Helmeppo's right hand, his smaller Zanpakuto pulled free locking the other sword in Helmeppo's other hand.

Koby and Helmeppo stared wide eyed at the swords while Garp let out a low whistle at the sight. If he didn't know better he would consider them both Legendary swords in their own right by sight alone.

In a flash Ichigo pushed Helmeppo back as the blonde haired man slid across the ground slowing himself down. Helmeppo clicked his tongue in annoyance, even with his new strength he attained from his training he was easily pushed back by the orange haired teen.

Looking up he caught the look in the teens eyes, they were boring into him. He gulped wishing he had his stylish sunglasses on to hide the slight fear he had in his eyes.

"Retreating already Helmeppo? I thought I trained you harder than this!" Garp yelled trying to motivate his subordinate. He knew it was in vain though, the way the teen held himself was leagues above Helmeppo's level of training.

Helmeppo grit his teeth before he charged at Ichigo again. He jumped high in the air swinging his swords down as Ichigo watched his decent.

Helmeppo slashed down as Ichigo dashed backwards. Helmeppo followed as he swung wildly at the orange haired teen who simply dodged the attacks instead of parrying them. Feeling slightly enraged at the insult he dashed forward swinging both his sword horizontal towards Ichigo's chest. In a surprising burst of speed Ichigo blocked both swords with his own.

With a twist of his wrist Ichigo disarmed Helmeppo as both his swords flew across the room embedding themselves into separate walls in the room. Ichigo held up his swords crossing them across Helmeppo's neck, waiting for his words of surrender.

Koby watched impressed by Ichigo's skill, he didn't show much, but it wasn't easy for a swordsman to disarm another one so quickly, by his knowledge at least.

Garp was grinning, it seemed that Aokiji wasn't lying about their first encounter. The Admiral had told him about the fight they first had, talking about the huge display of strength, speed, and the strange energy attack the teen had done with his swords.

If only he could find a way to see more of the teens strength. He rubbed his chin in thought looking down at his other subordinate Koby. He just got another idea.

"I surrender." Helmeppo spoke out getting a nod from Ichigo as he let his Zanpakuto's rest in his hand. Helmeppo stood up with a large sigh, resigning himself to the hellish training he would face tomorrow.

"I didn't expect to be beaten so easily." Helmeppo despaired as Ichigo sweatdropped seeing his opponent.

"Sorry about that." Ichigo tried to apologize for easily beating the guy. The fight wasn't even enough to warm him up and he was left wanting more.

"Ha ha ha! Aokiji certainly wasn't lying when he talked about your skill. What say you fight Koby here next?" He placed his large hand on the pink haired teens shoulder.

Koby's eyes widened as he was about to voice out his distress.

"Don't worry." Garp began as if reading the mind of the teen. "There won't be anything at stake for this fight. What say you try your hand at him?" Garp tried to convince the pink haired teen.

He thought for a moment, this was a good opportunity to see how much stronger he had gotten, he hadn't been able to truly test himself recently.

"I'll give it a shot." Koby said with a burning passion in his eyes. Ichigo sweatdropped slightly not expecting the teen to show such passion in fighting.

"That's the spirit! Ichigo, you won't mind if you put your swords aside for this fight?" Garp asked. Ichigo nodded walking over to the wall about to lean his Zanpakuto's against the wall.

"Actually would you mind if I had a closer look at those?" Garp suddenly asked getting everyone's attention in the room.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed on the white bearded man.

"Why?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.

Garp rolled his eyes before looking back at the orange haired teen.

"I've traveled the world my entire life, but I've never seen swords like those before. Just let an old man like me state his curiosity would ya?" Garp winked at the teen. Ichigo let out an explosive sigh as he looked at the swords in his hand.

_If it will help him trust me better, it wouldn't hurt anything showing them to him._

"I don't mind. Just be careful with them, they mean a lot to me." Ichigo tried to intimidate Garp. The old man just grinned as he waited for the teen.

Ichigo walked over leaning the swords on the wall next to the Vice-Admiral. Garp eyed the swords more closely as he kneeled down inspecting them.

Ichigo watched the man making sure he had no Ill intent against his Zanpakuto's.

"When do you want to start Ichigo?" He heard a shout from behind him seeing Koby had positioned himself in the center of the room, ready to start their spar.

He watched as Helmeppo comically removed his swords from the wall, sighing as he pulled them out with a grunt of effort.

"I'm ready now. Shall we?" Ichigo readied himself putting his fist up in front of him, Koby mirrored him as they both prepared themselves.

"Both of you ready?" Garp asked turning away from the swords as he stood up walking to the center of the room. The two nodded as Garp grinned. Stepping back he brought his hand down.

"Begin!" Garp shouted.

Koby shot forward his fist aiming for Ichigo's face. Seeing the fist Ichigo ducked down closer to the ground bending his knees. He sent his leg outwards trying to knock over the pink haired teen hoping to trip him up.

Koby saw the leg aiming for his own as he jumped backwards away from Ichigo before dashing at him again.

Ichigo felt himself get back into the hang of things. It felt like he was back in his old dojo training with Tatsuki.

The two traded attack after attack, neither one hitting their marks as they seemed to dance around one another. Ichigo didn't up the notch of the fight until Koby did it first. If Koby went faster than Ichigo would match his speed with his own.

Koby realizing he wasn't getting the results he wanted decided to use more of his flashy techniques hoping to catch Ichigo off guard.

As Ichigo was swinging his leg in mid air he waited for his moment to act.

"Soru!" Koby yelled as he disappeared. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized the teen was capable of using a technique not too dissimilar to Shupo.

Koby dashed from the side using Soru, his leg approaching the teen at a blindly fast speed. Much to Koby's surprise his foot was caught by Ichigo's outstretched hand. Pulling his leg he caused Koby's other foot to slide across the ground. Koby losing his balance Ichigo grabbed his arm as he tossed him against the wooden floor before pinning his arms behind his back.

Koby's eyes were wide in shock, looking up at Ichigo he saw his scowl was gone and was replaced by calm calculating eyes.

"Ha Ha Ha! You still have a long way to go Koby! That was a good fight!" Garp shouted as Koby felt that was his signal for his loss. Ichigo let go of of Koby allowing him to push himself off the floor dusting himself off.

Koby grinned turning to Ichigo sticking out his hand.

"I thought I could catch you off guard with that. No hard feelings right?" Koby sheepishly scratched his head with his other hand. Ichigo took his hand shaking it.

"No hard feelings. That was some impressive speed though." Ichigo tried to compliment him, his scowl was gone replaced by a small grin.

"Now about your punishment." Garp began as Koby felt himself shiver hearing those words.

"Wait! You said there wouldn't be any punishment for that match!" Koby whined trying to defend himself.

"Well I changed my mind!" Garp shouted crossing his arms having nothing of the two. "Now go run 50 laps around the ship! GO! Both of you!" He shouted as Koby and Helmeppo dashed out of the room so quickly even Ichigo was surprised at the speed they left.

Ichigo realized it was now only Garp and himself left in the room. The silence stretched out as Ichigo looked at the white bearded man, wondering what was on his mind.

"Thanks for playing along. Gave those two the motivation they needed." Garp said before sitting himself down next to Ichigo's Zanpakuto's. "Come have a seat with me." Garp grinned patting the ground next to him.

Ichigo sighed sitting himself cross legged on the ground next to the Vice-Admiral.

"You don't need to thank me, I just wanted to help any way I could." Ichigo sighed crossing his arms.

"Still, it will help them in the long run. Thank you for giving them a fighting chance." Garp laughed as Ichigo eyebrow rose curiously.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked tilting his head.

Garp grinned before he brought up his fist and brought it down on Ichigo's head, hard.

"What the hell old man!?" Ichigo yelled scooting out of range of Garp hoping not to get hit again clutching his head in his hands.

"Ha Ha Ha! Kuzan certainly wasn't lying. Ichigo, you do realize my strength isn't something to laugh at." Garp pointed out as Ichigo tried to understand the meaning behind his words.

"What does that have to do with hitting me?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes on the white bearded man earning another hardy laugh from him.

"I just punched you for real right now, if I punched Helmeppo or Koby with that kind of strength, I'd be lucky if they woke up by tomorrow." Garp began crossing his arms. "What I'm saying is, most people don't fight Admiral's and live to talk about it." Garp explained.

Ichigo's hands rested on his legs as he finally understood the direction of the conversation.

"A teen with the strength to single handedly face an Admiral in combat. You're lucky it was Kuzan who you fought, the other two wouldn't have been so forgiving." Garp leaned back letting his head rest against the wall.

"Other two?" Ichigo asked. Now that he thought about it, there were mentions of other Admiral's in the past.

Garp rolled his eyes looking at the teen. "Kuzan sure was right, your knowledge is terrible! Well no matter, I'm talking about the other two Admiral's, Kizaru and Akainu. Those two would have ended your life the moment you even looked away from them." Garp tried explaining the magnitude of the situation.

Ichigo scowled imagining what the other two Admiral's were like.

"It can't be that big of a deal right?" Ichigo tried to downplay the situation.

Garp frowned picking his nose in front of Ichigo, he scowled at the grotesque display.

"Don't underestimate those two." Garp warned. "You could probably avoid the whole confrontation by enlisting in the marines. With your strength I'm certain you could be promoted to Vice-Admiral in no time." Garp pointed out trying to convince the teen.

Ichigo frowned crossing his arms. Just how many times was he going to be offered a job in the marines? It just didn't feel right to him. It would be like if he legitimately joined a division in Soul Society, he couldn't imagine it happening.

Being chained down to take orders from people he knew nothing about wasn't a good feeling either. Would he have to take part in atrocities like Kuzan did 20 years ago on that island? He still needed to learn more about that event.

Noticing he had been in thought for a while, Garp had been watching him closely.

"I can't imagine myself being a marine." Ichigo admitted. He leaned back against the wall next to the white bearded man.

Garp eyed the teen, Aokiji had told him about his small speech he had given when he protected the pirate crew.

Garp let out a sigh standing up. "You remind me of my grandson. If only he wasn't such an idiot." He held his fist, allowing a small curse to pass his lips thinking about his family. "If you can't decide now, get used to the crew on board. See if they can change your mind." Garp reached out his hand to Ichigo. Taking his hand Garp pulled him up off the ground effortless as he walked to the center of the room.

"Now than, want to have a real challenge?" Garp spoke up taking off his coat surprising Ichigo. He walked to the center of the room waiting for the orange haired teen. "What say you go a few rounds with me, see what you're really made of?" Garp grinned as Ichigo couldn't help but smirk at the older mans words.

"You're on old man." Ichigo walked to the center of the room. He didn't let Garp's height intimidate him.

"That's the spirit!" Garp grinned cracking his knuckles.

That day a strange companionship was born was born between an old man, and a dimension hopping teen.

* * *

**Author Notes**

**I know Koby can be spelled as Coby but I checked the wiki and it was spelled Koby so I'm going with that. **

**Don't really have much to say about this chapter. I know the direction of the story I'm going for and hope you enjoy the ride along the way.**

**I tried my best trying to understand how a interaction could work between Ichigo and Garp, and I feel this is the best route.**

**Please leave a review and point out any spelling mistakes.**

**Until next time.**


	9. Fight Club

**Before you begin I want to apologize for the long wait. I had to move to a new apartment, do a lot of paperwork, and balance classes at the same time. I didn't have internet for a while so my motivation to write dwindled and my creativity was at an all time low. I'm trying to recover myself to get back into the hang of things.**

**I will for now update monthly, possibly more than one time a month if I have more free time. This one month I didn't update felt more like an entire year it's felt like such a long time.**

**Thank you all for being patient, and enjoy the chapter. Not very long but I'm trying to get back into things.**

**Bleach and One Piece both belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Ichigo unzipped his jacket throwing it against the wall, it landed in a clump on top of his Zanpakuto's. Both fighters only wore a plain white T-shirt with black pants.

"Don't hold back on me now." Garp grinned cracking his neck, getting all the kinks out of his old bones.

He wanted to see what kind of strength the teen had. Aokiji had mentioned he exerted an aura out of him during their fight, possibly Conquerors Haki. The odds of that were incredibly slim, and by the Admiral's description of it, it couldn't be Conquerors Haki.

It didn't matter to Garp, he'd learn more about the teen better through fists more than words.

"I should be the one saying that, old man." Ichigo smirked taunting the white bearded man. They were both hypocrites though, knowing that if they didn't hold back there wouldn't be much left of the boat afterwards.

Garp laughed putting his fist in his hand, looking down at the teen he couldn't help but notice even with their difference in height, the teen didn't seem afraid in the slightest.

"Quite the mouth you got there! I'm going to show you how strong this 'old man' really is!" Garp brought up his massive fist waiting for Ichigo to be ready.

Ichigo following Garp's stance they both waited for an unspoken signal to start their fight.

A moment passed as Garp took the initiative, he burst forward with his signature grin on his face. His massive fist launched itself towards Ichigo's face. The teen was wide eyed not expecting the old man to possess speed that far surpassed Koby from earlier.

He leaned as far back as he could, his back becoming parallel with the ground as the massive fist passed over where his head was previously. He felt his hair sway wildly as he could feel the wind pressure off the fist.

Being so close to the ground he put both his hands down on the wooden floor lifting his feet into the air.

Pulling his legs as close as he could to himself, he shot both his legs forward, they impacted against Garp's massive chest pushing the man back as he slid across the floor.

Ichigo sprung back up to his feet preparing himself for the next assault. Catching Garp's eye he could clearly see the same grin on his face.

"That was a good kick. Maybe we should both take this seriously." Garp held up his fist in front of him as Ichigo watched curiously.

Garp's fist made a strange warping sound before it completely turned black. Ichigo's eyes widened as he prepared himself for anything to happen.

"Another Devil Fruit?" Ichigo asked his eyes locked on the blackened fist. Was everyone he met in this world a Devil Fruit user of some kind? They were supposed to be rare right?

Garp looked at the teen and back at his fist before breaking out in laughter. It wasn't his normal laughter he had used before, this was full blown gut wrenching holding laughter.

Ichigo felt his his body relax not expecting the old man to laugh so much. Was it something he said?

Garp calmed himself wiping tears from his eyes, he never had such a reaction before to seeing his Armament Haki, and it was definitely a first that someone thought it was a Devil Fruit.

"Sorry, sorry! That's the first time I've ever gotten that reaction. I couldn't help myself!" Garp laughed as Ichigo sweatdropped slightly. "This isn't a Devil Fruit. This is called Armament Haki." He gestured to his blackened fist.

Ichigo tilted his head at the name, his eyes on the blackened fist.

"Armament Haki? So it's like a technique?" Ichigo felt himself stiffen a little.

"You could say that, but that's a lesson for later." Garp finished jumping forward high into the air, he brought his fist down on Ichigo.

Eyes wide the teen blocked the fist catching it in his palm, he grit his teeth feeling the punch pressing down on him, Garp's entire weight pushing him down. He didn't know how the wooden floor below him didn't shatter from such a hit, but he guessed Garp wasn't putting all his strength into his punch.

Using his other free hand Ichigo shot his palm upwards catching Garp in his face, the grin never left his face as his neck jutted upwards from the attack. Garp caught the teen off guard with a knee to his stomach.

Ichigo had to close his mouth to stop the spittle that would have escaped his lips. He didn't try to show but the blackened fist hit a lot harder than when he got hit earlier on the head by the same fist before their fight.

It seemed the old man was semi-serious this fight now, meaning Ichigo would have to do the same. Even if Garp was old Ichigo couldn't underestimate him. His reasoning was even the oldest members of Soul Society were the strongest and wisest people he had ever met.

Ichigo remembered the incredible strength of the late Captain of the first division. That man was older than time itself and yet he had the strength and respect of almost every single person he knew.

Ichigo retreated gaining a small distance between the two, Garp following behind him in his own burst of speed.

Garp swiped his leg across Ichigo's chest as the teen jumped above the appendage. Now airborne he brought his own leg down onto Garp's shoulder with more power this time.

Garp's grin faltered for a moment feeling the strength behind the teens kick, he noticed Ichigo's attack held more power in his strike this time.

His grin returned as Garp grabbed the teens leg and threw him against the opposite end of the room, Ichigo felt himself tumble a few times across the floor before righting himself on his own two feet.

Seeing a shadow loom over him he rolled to the side as Garp's blackened fist crashed into the wooden floor, breaking it apart.

Ichigo's eyes widened seeing Garp destroy part of the floor, he forgot for a moment they were in fact in a ship.

"Are you trying to sink the ship old man!?" Ichigo yelled, he didn't expect the fight to escalate this much, but he still needed to defend himself.

"No worries, I can have it patched up in no time!" Garp laughed. "You should take this more seriously Ichigo, or I'll have to make you." Garp grinned as the teen gulped at those words.

Ichigo's unfocused eyes calmed as he looked at Garp, the two took a moment as they prepared themselves for the next attack.

Garp noticed the teens eyes were focused, before he was faltering in his moves, never putting too much strength behind his attacks, probably thinking he would seriously hurt Garp.

"You should know I'm made of tougher stuff than you think." Garp hit his blackened fist against his chest. "Come at me with with all you got." Garp readied himself, hoping his words would make the teen use the strength he had used to fight Aokiji.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he felt his aching muscles fade away ignoring them. If the old man wanted him to fight more seriously, than he would oblige.

Ichigo using Shupo disappeared from sight. Garp's eyes widened at the technique. He felt his senses tingle before a fist crashed into his stomach, Ichigo's fist digging into his flesh as the older man gritted his teeth. He didn't even see the orange haired teen move, one second he was across the room and next he felt his senses warning him of the incoming attack.

Not wasting a moment Garp grabbed the teens arm in his own and yanked him high into the air. Ichigo felt his body move against his will as Garp used his incredible strength slamming the teen entire body into the wooden floor.

The floor broke beneath him as splitters and small wood chucks shot across the room. Ichigo's head spun for a moment not expecting the older man to do such a move, he thought that punch would at least double him over ending the fight, instead he got a mouthful of wood as a reward.

Ichigo watched as Garp used his other free hand punching it forward as he still held Ichigo's other hand in place, stopping him from escaping. Ichigo from the awkward position on the floor with his arm held firmly in the older man's grip, shot his free fist forward at the blackened fist as they both crashed into each other.

A small shockwave pushed the small wooden chunks and splinters around them outwards as Ichigo's and Garp's fist held firm against each other. Both of their arms straining hoping to push the other back. The fighters each grit their teeth feeling the power behind each others punches.

Garp yanked the teens arm still in his grip making his feet slide across the ground against his will.

Garp brought his arm holding Ichigo high into the air. The teen felt his body move against his will as his limbs swayed wildly. Garp brought down his arm holding the teen in his grip down towards the ground with a burst of speed, hoping to smash the teen against the wooden floor again.

Ichigo using a surprising amount of agility twisted his body as his legs impacted against the wooden floor. He grit his teeth feeling the pressure on his body from trying to protect his body from getting slammed down again.

Garp watched with a grin seeing the teen was putting up a good fight against him, even though neither one of them was going all out, it still was a good fight.

Ichigo feeling the old man's grip falter momentarily, sprang off the ground getting eye level with the white bearded man. Swinging his leg forward it crashed into the side of Garp's head. Feeling the hand holding his arm loosen he smacked it off his form before creating some distance between him and Garp.

Garp's neck was titled, still holding its position from the attack prior, his grin was gone. Ichigo was worried for a moment as he landed on the floor hoping he didn't hit the old man too hard.

It seemed his worries were for naught as the grin returned full force as Garp looked at the teen. His blackened fist returned to normal as Ichigo felt his body relax.

"Ha Ha Ha! That was a good fight! You hit a lot harder than my grandson ever did!" Garp laughed as Ichigo couldn't help but feel his own smile on his face.

"Come here, sit next to me." Garp plopped down on the ground patting the ground next to him, gesturing Ichigo to sit next to him.

Ichigo settled himself down on the ground next to the larger old man. His felt a warm sweat on his brow as he brushed it off, he hadn't had a fight like that in a long time.

His gaze traveled across the room, noticing the man shaped hole in the wooden floor where he was slammed into. He sweatdropped slightly seeing the massive hole where Garp had punched right through.

"Will those be fine?" Ichigo pointed to the multiple holes in the wooden floor. Garp gazing at the holes shrugged.

"I'll get my crew to fix that in no time. It's a training room for a reason, damage like that happens all the time." Garp grinned patting Ichigo on the back. Ichigo doubted that but didn't say anything.

"Enough about that, you got some serious fight in you." Garp grinned as Ichigo winced feeling the the old man's hands hitting his back, his aches not enjoying the pressure.

"I could say the same thing to you. What was that Armament Haki you showed me earlier? Your punch felt a lot harder with it." Ichigo had noticed during the fight. Garp grinned crossing his arm closing his eyes.

If what Aokiji told him was true, than Ichigo knew next to nothing about the world. Haki and Devil Fruits foreign to the teen. It seemed he need to give a few lessons to the teen, couldn't let him be ignorant to everything.

"Tell me how much do you know about Haki?" Garp eyed the teen curiously.

Ichigo shook his head, his arms crossed mimicking the white bearded man next to him.

"I don't know a thing about it. This is the first time I've heard about it." Ichigo admitted. He noticed the look of curiosity in the older man's eyes as he looked down on him.

"Is that so?" Garp rubbed his beard trying to understand how the teen was so strong. Did he subconsciously use Haki to power his moves? Was he naturally that strong? Or was it something else entirely?

Aokiji had mentioned the teen had a blue aura around him that looked similar to blue flames, he exerted a pressure out of him pressing down on the many pirates on the ship. He noticed the teen had used no such ability during their fight.

"Well anyway I guess this calls for a small lesson. As a reward for giving this 'old man' a good fight." Garp grinned bringing his hand down own Ichigo's back. He learned a little about the teen from their fight. They both held their 'stronger' punches but it felt like a good fight nonetheless.

"Are you listening?" Garp said getting a nod from Ichigo. "Good. Now where should we start?" Garp stroked his beard trying to think of a starting point of his explanation.

Ichigo felt a small smile on his face watching Garp. The fight had brought up his mood a little, he always learned more about people through fights than words.

"Oh yes." Garp put his hand in his fist coming up with an idea. "You see this." He put up his fist as it turned black again. Ichigo leaned in closer eyeing the odd blackened appendage curiously.

"This is Armament Haki like I said early. It makes my punches much stronger, it's possible to use Armament Haki without it looking like this, but I thought it would be a good demonstration during our fight." Garp finished as his blackened fist returned to normal.

"Can everyone use Armament Haki?" Ichigo asked eyeing the hand that was previously black.

"Hmm, it's possible anyone can learn it, but the training is extremely difficult and the process can be life threatening." Garp trailed off. Ichigo's eyebrows rose at the explanation.

Just what kind of training did it entail learning such a technique? Well it didn't matter to Ichigo.

"There's also two other forms of Haki." Garp comically held up two of his fingers. "There's Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki." Garp explained as Ichigo nodded following along.

"How can I explain Observation Haki? Hmmm…." Garp suddenly stood up getting Ichigo's attention.

"I'm going to close my eyes. Try hitting me." Garp suddenly said crossing his arms with his eyes closed. By name alone Ichigo could guess what the ability meant, but a demonstration was always better than an explanation.

Standing up Ichigo quietly walked up to Garp not making a sound. He punched his fist forward and was caught in Garp's palm. Garp grinned opening his eyes looking down on the teen.

"That's Observation Haki, I can sense your attacks easier. I can also sense how strong someone is." Was Garp's short explanation on the topic as he trailed off.

Garp let go of Ichigo's fist as the teen eyed the man curiously. Could he seriously sense how strong he was? If he could the older man didn't let it show on his face.

"What about Conqueror's Haki?" Ichigo asked getting the smallest of frowns from Garp.

"Now that's a bit harder to explain." Garp began. "You have to be born with it. The amount of people who can use Conqueror's Haki in the world, I can count on two hands." Garp explained looking down at his hands counting off how many people he knew who could use it.

Ichigo tilted his head not truly following along. "If it's so rare why are you explaining it to me?" He questioned see Garp stopped counting on his fingers.

Garp let out a sigh. "Ichigo, you realize you are strong right?" He began. Ichigo nodded slowly not wanting to voice out he didn't think he was. Maybe the old man could sense how strong he was with Observation Haki, however that worked.

"In this world strong people will meet stronger people, and this knowledge could help you in the future." Garp tried to make Ichigo understand the severity of his strength.

"Alright I get it, but just what is Conqueror's Haki? You're building it up like it's the Ultimate Haki." Ichigo gestured Garp to get on with the explanation.

"Now that's hard to explain." Garp plopped himself back down on the wooden floor as Ichigo mimicked his movements, sitting beside him.

"Stop repeating yourself." Ichigo retorted rolling his eyes.

"Kuzan told me you exerted pressure on the pirate crew during your fight. While we won't ask what ability you were using, let's compare Conqueror's Haki to that. If someone uses Conqueror's Haki on a weaker fighter they'd simply pass out." Garp explained as Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the comparison.

It seemed that when he released his Reiatsu on the boat wasn't unnoticed by the Admiral, while he wanted to keep his abilities a secret, was there really a reason to? In this world where people could use techniques to move at inhuman speeds, or people who could shoots beams of energy out of their bodies, were his Shinigami powers really needed to be kept a secret?

In a crazy world like this would it be so far fetched that he came from another dimension? While me might be thrown into this worlds equivalent of an insane asylum, he felt like there was truly no reason to hide his abilities.

Right now though it didn't feel like the right time to explain such a thing, while he was slowly starting to build trust between himself, Aokiji, and Garp, suddenly saying 'I'm from another world!' might not be the best thing to say at the moment. In time he would open himself up to them, depending if he would even stay with the marines long enough to give that a chance.

"I'm not trying to keep my abilities a secret." Ichigo began catching Garp's attention. "It's just there's so much to explain." Ichigo felt his shoulders sag feeling exhausted for some reason. Garp noticing the teen's frown let out a sigh standing up.

"You don't need to explain anything to me. I don't want to hear your life story, and you don't want to hear mine. So let's call it a day shall we?" Garp grinned extending his hand out to Ichigo. The teen let himself get pulled up as Garp grabbed his coat and made his way out of the room.

"Wait, aren't you in charge of this ship? Is it ok for you to be away for so long?" Ichigo questioned as Garp stopped in his tracks, his face not visible from where he was standing.

He rigidly turned around with a goofy grin on his face catching Ichigo off guard.

"Seems I forgot." Garp rubbed his head laughing earning a roll of the eyes from the teen.

"I'll be talking to Kuzan. We'll be heading for Water Seven, it will probably take a few days. So make yourself useful for the crew. Not that I can order you around because you aren't a marine, just don't slack off. Stop by my quarters later if you get a chance." Garp waved off the teen disappearing through the door, leaving Ichigo alone in the room.

Ichigo sighed before he felt his back fall against the wooden floor. He was still recovering from his lack of Reiatsu, and pushing himself didn't help his condition.

_Maybe I should take a break from fighting for a while._

He could tell Garp was a good man, he could always sense the intentions of his opponent during fights, and the old man may have fought him using a few dirty moves, he was still a nice man.

The last time he remembered having such a feeling was when he fought Ginjo.

He grimaced slightly remembering the man he had killed, wondering if his soul truly was at peace, if his soul was sent to Soul Society or Hell he didn't know. He frowned harder remembering that now it didn't even matter, they were all gone, leaving him alone in a new world. He shook his head, he needed to stop making that a habit.

He sat up walking over to his Zanpakuto's, sitting down again he leaned his back against the wall. Reaching for his coat he pulled out the letter one more time. Looking down at it he tried again to remember what events had led to the Soul King's death. Why was his memory fuzzy when he had entered the Soul King's room, charging after Yhwach?

Gazing over to Zangetsu he hoped maybe he could hear the comforting voice of the old man who had helped him so much in his journey. A moment passed as no voice came to him. Letting his head rest against the wooden wall he wondered what happened to old man Zangetsu.

_Maybe I should try Jinzen again…_

He remembered when the last time he had used it, when he was in the dangai when his father told him about the Final Gestuga Tenshou. He reached over and grabbed his larger sword in his hand, placing it on his lap he was about to reach for the shorter sword when the door swung open.

His head swiveled seeing a few marines with cleaning equipment enter the room, the marines blinked looked at the sole occupant of the room before their eyes laid on the broken wooden flooring. They groaned in unison at the task they were given.

"Why the hell does Vice-Admiral Garp have to break everything?" One of the marines groaned getting nods from the others.

"It can't be helped, lets just fix the floor and be done with it." Another marine spoke up trying to motivate .

Ichigo suddenly felt he should leave the room, not hoping to interrupt the marines trying to clean the floor, he would offer to help but he knew next to nothing about how to fix a broken wooden floor, so a quick retreat was necessary.

Grabbing his jacket, putting it on and zipping it up he secured his Zanpakuto's to his form placing the letter in his jacket. Giving a quick nod not sure how to address the marines tasked to clean up after their battle, he made his way out of the room, letting the door close behind him.

Standing in the hallway he realized he didn't know the layout of the ship, he sighed before retracing his steps making his way back up the stairs to the deck. Walking past marines, he only received a few stares for the odd swords he was carrying, other than that the trip back on deck was uneventful.

Arriving back on the main deck he looked around, a few marines were walking about but it was less crowded than it was earlier. Looking over the horizon, the sight of the larger battleships and the massive door were gone, leaving a cloudy sky and endless ocean in every direction. He guessed the ship was heading to that Water Seven place, wherever that was.

He had to take a step back quickly as the forms of Helmeppo and Koby ran past him.

"Sorry about that!" Koby yelled as he disappeared around the corner followed by sweaty Helmeppo. Ichigo blinked remembering the punishment they were given by garp prior to their fight.

Shrugging with nothing to do he walked over to a crate sitting down. The minutes passed as Ichigo watched Koby and Helmeppo finish their punishment laps.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the sky had cleared revealing the deep blue sky. The sun setting in the horizon as Ichigo felt himself relax. It was a nice change of pace for him. He knew he should have at least asked to help around the ship, but he had no idea who to talk to. He'd ask Koby when he was done with his laps.

Coming around the corner again Ichigo watched Koby as he was sweating profusely, trying to stay upright on his two legs. Coming to a stop in front of Ichigo he collapsed on his rear end taking in deep breaths.

"50." Was all Koby could say between breaths before his back collapsed on the wooden deck. Ichigo's eyebrow rose tilted his head towards the dog house in the middle of the ship expecting Helmeppo to make his way around the corner any second.

A few moments passed before Helmeppo turned around the corner, his arms were flailing around as he tried his hardest to jog at a moderate pace. The marines close by made sure to stay clear so they wouldn't get hit by his swaying arms.

He Collapsed in a pile beside Koby in a less dignified manner, his breathing was erratic as the wooden deck pressed against his face. Ichigo watched the odd imagery of the two. Koby legs swayed as he tried to stand up. Ichigo stood up letting the pink haired teen's arm rest against his frame.

"Thanks. Vice-Admiral Garp always gives the harshest punishments." Kody said in between breaths looking at Ichigo. Koby's eyes looked down at his friend Helmeppo cringing slightly remembering what training he had tomorrow.

"I pray for your health tomorrow." Koby closed his eyes wishing his friend the best of luck.

"Don't make it sound like I'm going to die!" Helmeppo managed to yell from his position on the deck.

"You need any help down there?" Ichigo asked looking down at the blonde haired man, not sure what he should do.

"J-just let me lay here. I'll make my way to our room later." Helmeppo said between breaths as he let his eyes close as Ichigo's eyebrow rose in confusion.

A moment passed as a slight snoring could be heard from Helmeppo. Ichigo's eyebrow twitched looking down at the blonde haired man.

_This idiot fell asleep._

Well it didn't matter to him. Looking back at Koby who was leaning on him he noticed the pink haired teens eyes were slightly unfocused as he swayed slightly.

"Want me to help you to your room?" Ichigo asked getting a nod from Koby.

"That would help a lot. Thanks. I'll point the way." Koby said looking down at his friend one more time before directing Ichigo into the ship.

Twisting through the hallways of the ship the duo finally arrived at a room after a few minutes.

"Here's our room." Koby pushed open the door revealing the interior. It was spartan as Ichigo looked around the room, not many things were laid about, but the room was decently sized. Koby leaned away from Ichigo walking over to his bed before collapsing onto it.

"If you don't mind I'm going to take a quick nap. The Vice-Admiral's room is two doors down that way if you are looking for Admiral Aokiji." Koby pointed towards the direction of the room.

"Thanks. If Helmeppo is still on the deck later, I'll bring him here alright?" Ichigo tried to offer his help.

Koby smiled letting his head rest against his pillow looking up at the orange haired teen. "That's fine, we share the same room so his beds right next to mine." Koby finished getting a nod from Ichigo.

"I'll be with Kuzan." Ichigo said opening and closing the door behind him, hoping to let Koby get any rest he needed.

Walking two doors over he read the sign over the door in big english letters.

**Vice-Admiral Quarters**

Rapping his knuckles against the from of the door he knocked twice waiting for a response from inside. The door swung open as Ichigo leaped back to avoid the door smacking him across the face. He scowled before his eyes laid upon the person who almost hit him.

Seeing the grin of Garp his scowl lessened as the older man's eyes were slightly wide looking at the orange haired teen.

"Ichigo! We were just talking about you. Come inside, take a seat." Garp gestured the teen to enter. Ichigo entered the room catching sight of Aokiji sitting in a chair at a table, two more chairs accompanied him.

Ichigo looked around the room, seeing many small knick knacks and a wooden shelf filled with books. It looked exactly like what he thought a captains quarters would look like in his mind. There was even a little ship in a bottle on Garp's desk.

"Ichigo, I heard about your little spar with Garp. Hopefully he didn't give you too much trouble." Aokiji said sending a lazy glance to Garp.

Garp let out a boisterous laugh. "You fought him yourself too Kuzan! This kids made of sterner stuff than most people!" Garp said patting Ichigo on the back again. The teen was starting to get used to it, but it didn't help when his sword dug into his back every time.

"Take a seat there's a few things we want to discuss in your presence." Aokiji gestured to the chair next to his. Ichigo nodded unslinging his Zanpakuto's leaning them against the wall next to the door before settling himself in the seat next to Aokiji. He noticed his chair was half the size of the other two, again making him self conscious about his height.

He was practically at eye level while Aokiji was fully seated in his chair when he was standing. Garp closed the door giving one glance at the swords before he settled down into his own chair.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ichigo asked the two larger occupants of the room. They each sent a glance to one another, having a silent wordless conversation with eye contact alone.

"It's about the fall of Enies Lobby." Aokiji began as Garp leaned back in his chair crossing his arms waiting for Aokiji to explain the situation to the teen.

"While you might not be a marine, you are still under my care. I'll explain what happened earlier today." Aokiji sent a glance to Garp who was holding his own grin on his face. Why that was Ichigo didn't know.

"Today when Nico Robin was going to be sent to Impel Down after her trial, the island of Enies Lobby was invaded by pirates led by Monkey D. Luffy." Aokiji sent another place to Garp as the old man laughed.

"That's my grandson! Always causing a ruckus, he's grown quite well!" Garp shouted earning a confused look from Ichigo.

"Grandson? Wait, that Luffy guy is your grandson?" Ichigo asked gaining a surprised look from Garp.

"You've met him?" Garp asked suddenly getting very curious.

Ichigo pondered for a moment remembering what he heard about him from his interactions with the Foxy pirates.

"I never met him, but I heard about him when I was with the Foxy pirates. Said he ended a Captain's 920 winning streak in Davy Back Fights." Ichigo spoke up, leaving out the fact he remembered the terrible drawing on the sail of the ship that the pirate in question also drew.

"So he's gotten pretty strong." Garp rubbed his beard glancing curiously at Aokiji.

_Garp's grandson is a pirate? That doesn't really make much sense._

Ichigo kept his mouth shut, he would ask the details about that later, because it seemed Aokiji was about to start his explanation again.

The Admiral let out a sigh knowing exactly what he had to explain next. "Garp told you earlier that we were heading to Water Seven. Some details of the destruction of Enies Lobby have risen so our plans have changed." Aokiji leaned back in his chair, it creaked under his weight trying to think of what to explain next.

"The destruction of the island wasn't done by the pirates, but by the director's call to order a Buster Call on the island. The official report we are submitting will leave out the World Governments mistake of destroying the island." Aokiji gestured to the papers on the desk,most likely the report he had written.

Ichigo frowned at the information. He still didn't know about a lot of the details regarding the whole event, but one person in particular came to mind.

"What about Nico Robin? Are you going to arrest her at Water Seven?" Ichigo asked. Both Aokiji and Garp sent a glance at one another.

"That was the original plan. I've decided to let Garp take over what will happen to the pirates." Aokiji waited for Garp to explain what he planned to do.

"Since it's my grandson and his crew, I can't just arrest them. I'll decide after I see him." Garp said crossing his arms.

Ichigo looked at Garp with curious eyes. He could understand how it was hard to arrest a family member, but wasn't he a marine upholding the law? Could he even get away with that?

"Is that alright with you Kuzan?" Ichigo turned to the Admiral. Aokiji looked back at the teen with lazy eyes.

"I owe Garp here a lot for the help he has given me over the years. I trust his judgement." Aokiji tried to explain to Ichigo. The teen didn't fully understand the trust but didn't voice any disagreement.

The teen nodded slowly feeling himself lean back in his own chair. Turning to look back at Garp he caught his gaze.

"What's your grandson like?" Ichigo asked genuinely curious. He guessed the Luffy guy would probably be around Garp's height seeing as how he had caused so much trouble for the marines.

Garp grinned thinking back to his grandson when he was raising him.

"He was a feisty little guy. That little rascal always declared he wanted to be a pirate when I trained him hard to be a marine. That good for nothing! Maybe I should arrest him to make him changes his ways." Garp rubbed his beard in thought.

Ichigo sweatdropped slightly. "You're seriously changing your mind that quickly? Didn't you say you weren't going to arrest him?" The teen tried to point out.

Garp laughed looking back at the teen. "I'll decide once I see how much he has changed." Garp turned his head looking at the clock in the room. "It's getting late so let's call it a night shall we?" Garp stood up gesturing for Ichigo to stand up as well.

"Since you don't have a room, do you mind sleeping on a spare bed in Koby's and Helmeppo's room?" Garp asked the teen.

"I don't have a problem with it." Ichigo shrugged walking to the door grabbing his swords securing them to his person. The amount of times he had to do this was becomign annoying and was contemplating just leaving his Zanpakuto's stored for his duration on whatever ship he was on.

"Their room's two doors down." Garp pointed at the direction of the room.

"I know, I helped Koby to his bed after he did his 'punishment' laps." Ichigo explained.

Garp nodded looking at Aokiji opening the door. Ichigo walked through expecting the Admiral to follow behind him.

"Kuzan and I need to talk some more. You'll be helping Koby out tomorrow early in the morning with his duties. Any complaints?" Garp eyed the teen, Ichigo shook his head before Garp grinned. "Get lots of rest tonight." He finished off before closing the door to his quarters.

Ichigo shrugged making his way to Koby's and Helmeppo's room. His stomach growled making him blush slightly, he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Maybe he should get food first.

…..

He didn't know where the mess hall was.

_Damnit._

* * *

Garp closed the door before turning back to the sole occupant in the room.

"He's a good kid. He's brutally honest and packs quite a punch." Garp had felt the punch the teen had driven into his stomach during their fight.

"I didn't expect you to fight him, but knowing you over the years I should have seen that coming." Aokiji felt a small smile on his face looking at his old friend.

"You can feel it right?" Garp suddenly asked Aokiji as he settled back in his chair. He narrowed his eyes slightly understanding the underlying meaning underneath the question.

"Are you talking about the kid's presence he exerts? Then yes. I can feel it even now as he walks away from this room." Aokiji stared at the wall he could 'sense' the teen from.

Aokiji had felt the teens strange power since the moment he saw him on the boat. The pressure he exerted had a direction correlation with the teens strength.

"Hopefully that kid will enlist in the marines. He'd make a good one, despite whatever power he's hiding." Garp felt himself wondering what made the teen tick. The teen had admitted he couldn't imagine himself as a marine, but letting such a talented individual go to waste was something he couldn't let happen.

He made that mistake already with his grandson and Ace. He'd give those two a pounding next time we saw them. Luffy's punishment would come quicker than his brother Ace's. He'd give him a 'friendly greeting' when he saw him at Water Seven.

"You shouldn't try and force him. How well did that work out with Luffy?" Aokiji pointed out getting a small frown from the Vice-Admiral.

Aokiji still had his encounter with the Straw Hat pirate fresh in his mind. He had told Garp about his encounter prior to his initial meeting with Ichigo on the pirate ship.

"You don't need to bring him up just because my grandson so happened to become a good for nothing pirate." Garp huffed turning his gaze away from the Admiral. Aokiji felt himself chuckle lightly seeing the usual boisterous laughing man trying to hide his disappointment in his grandson.

"It's not too late for Ichigo." Aokiji spoke up catching Garp's attention. "He's said it himself that he doesn't want to be a pirate or a marine, but what if we make him an offer." Aokiji explained his idea to Garp who leaned forward intrigued.

"Ohh? And what exactly do you have in mind for him?" Garp felt his interest piqued staring at his friend.

"What I'm about to explain goes against the direct chain of command of the Marines." Aokiji began getting a slow nod from his friend as he leaned back in his chair.

"We make him a substitute marine." Aokiji explained. Garp kept his mouth shut waiting for the Admiral to further explain his reasoning. "He stays underneath our command, and only takes orders from you and myself, we don't put too much pressure on him, but let him ease into a possible permanent position if he takes well to the job." Aokiji felt him hands run against his eyes, maybe a nap would help his tired mind.

He didn't know why but that name just seemed to fit for the strange orange haired teen. He felt as if he was just begging to be called it.

Garp couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh, Aokiji felt his chair shake slightly just by how loud his laugh was.

"Not sure about the silly name, but that's certainly a proposition for our orange haired friend! You've never showed so much interest in one person before Kuzan. What makes Ichigo so special for you to go the extra mile for him?" Garp asked trying to understand the Admiral's reasoning for helping out the teen.

Garp knew Aokiji very well, knowing the Admiral would go out his way directly contradicting his 'Lazy Justice' spoke of the Admiral's opinion of Ichigo.

"I believe his opinion of the World Government might not be held in high regards. From what I've told him, his only opinion right now is the disaster that took place on Ohara because of the previous Admiral's order of the Buster Call. He doesn't know the good that we do to keep the peace of the world." Aokiji trailed off looking at his friend.

Garp let out a smaller chuckle leaning back as the chair creaked under his weight. "I'm not sure the higher ups would like that. Him not being a full marine means they can't control him completely." Garp closed his eyes peeking one open looking at his frizzy haired friend.

"That's why we won't report his presence. Me recruiting him to travel with me never happened and he never arrived on this ship." Aokiji smirked slightly looking at Garp who let out another laugh.

"We'll see how well your plans works out. When do you plan to make your offer?" Garp asked intrigued by the Admiral's plan to lie to the higher ups.

"Tomorrow, I'll bring it up next time I see him." Aokiji felt a small yawn as he reached to cover his mouth. Maybe it was getting late and he should call it a night.

Reaching up to his head and pulling his mask down he covered his eyes getting a confused look from Garp.

A moment passed as Garp listened to the quiet snoring of the Admiral. The Vice-Admiral clenched his fist standing up. He leaned close to the sleeping Admiral getting as close to him as he could. He inhaled taking in a big deep breath preparing himself for what he was about to do.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SLEEPING IN MY QUARTERS!?"

* * *

**Authors Notes**

**Shorter chapter but I just got back into writing again. I have more ideas for this story and will continue to update as my time allows me.**

**I'd like to point out one review that really got me thinking, the reviewer was a guest and his review was as stated,**

_**"Do not have ichigo join the marines pretty much every single marine officer is a corrupt semi evil douche nozzle if your not going to have him join the strawhats what's the point of doing a one piece fic the point of doing a crossover is to introduce a character from another series to see how much the main story can change because of them"**_

**I do appreciate the ****criticism**** but I do believe you ****aren't**** understanding the tone of the story I'm going for. This story is about Ichigo, plain and simple. It's about his ****experiences**** with how he grows as a ****character, effecting the people around him. Yes the marines do a lot of shady shit, but from Ichigo's position he can't see the full picture, which is what I'm going for. He only has a few bad examples, but the people he has met in the marines so far ****aren't**** bad people. Please try to understand.**

**If I made any mistakes with my One Piece knowledge please point it out.**

**Until next time.**

**Edit 1: Added a few sentences and fixed a little bit of the grammar.**


	10. Storms, Sailors, and Shinigami's

**Again I would like to apologize for the long wait. It was my intention to update last month, but time hasn't been kind to me. Classes has picked up and a few life problems have hindered my progress and creativity from writing. **

**I want to make it clear I will not quit this story unless I specifically say so. I feel ashamed I said I would plan to update monthly but I couldn't even get a chapter out last month. **

**All I ask is please have patience.**

**I have dabbled into the plot of this story more, writing down long notes of ideas and other small things. I am by no means giving up.**

**The only thing I feel I lack is a good way of writing something i****nteresting. Like having a line of writing that you can read over and over again and just be lost in how good the writing is. That's what I feel I lack, but I hope to change that soon.**

**This chapter is short but I wanted to finally update because it has been so long.**

**I have changed the name of all the chapters. I have been inspired remembering the names of the missions in the Halo series and tried to try my own hand at naming the chapters after maybe a joke or something more catchy. I hope you enjoy the changes.**

**This chapter is sort of filler. I was planning on making the chapter longer, for will move the more important parts of the story into the next chapter.**

**For now, please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Ichigo felt the warm embrace of the bed surrounding his body. He was sunken into the mattress not expecting the military issued bed to be so comfortable.

Glancing around the room he spotted the sleeping form of Koby and Helmeppo. If Koby was sleeping or not he couldn't tell, but he doubted it by how loud Helmeppo was snoring.

The room was barely lit as he laid on his bed in the corner of the room. He assumed since the ranks of the two were higher than the other marines was the reason they lodged separately.

Earlier after talking to Garp and Aokiji, he asked a passing marine where the mess hall was. The marine at first was confused by the obvious question, but had to do a double take recognizing the teen that had come aboard with the Admiral. A quick walk with the marine, a short thank you and he had been given a normal meal by the cafeteria staff. It was nothing luxurious as the pirate ships food, but he didn't really care. It satisfied his hunger enough not to complain.

Nothing could ever beat Yuzu's cooking anyway.

After eating his meal, getting obvious stares from the rest of the crew as he was used to, he had returned to Koby and Helmeppo's room.

Slowly opening the door he was surprised to find Helmeppo had somehow made his way back after his nap on the deck and ended up in a bed near Koby's.

Quietly he set his swords down placing them underneath the last free bed in the room. Removing his jacket and shoes he didn't really have any pajamas to sleep in, so he settled into bed wearing his plain white tee shirt and long pants.

Leading to where he was now, with his arms crossed behind his head, he directed his gaze out the window. It was pitch black outside, but he could hear the soft pattering of rain on the window.

"Psst, Ichigo you awake?" He heard Koby whisper. Turning his head he could barely make out the form of Koby sitting upright in his bed.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ichigo whispered back, hoping not to wake up the rooms blonde haired occupant.

"With nowhere else to sleep I'm sure Garp told you to stay in our room right?" Koby deduced trying to keep his voice down.

"Yeah he told me to stay here." Ichigo whispered back confirming Koby's question.

"I thought so. Don't worry about being too loud, Helmeppo could sleep through a storm and he wouldn't lose any sleep over it." Koby replied giggling slightly at how much quieter Ichigo was trying to be than himself.

"If you say so." Ichigo trailed off waiting for Koby to speak his mind.

Ichigo perked up slightly hearing the rain outside hit the window harder. Maybe they were going to hit a storm?

Koby waited a moment trying to collect his thoughts for a question that had been plaguing his mind since his fight with the orange haired teen.

"How did you get so strong?" Koby started. "You easily beat Helmeppo and I without even breaking a sweat." It didn't take a genius to hear the shame in his voice admitting he had been defeated in combat.

Koby was never competitive before he was taken under Garp's wing and given the training that changed his life for the better. He had only known Ichigo for a short amount of time, but his interactions with the fellow teen who had washed on board with the Admiral left a positive impact on himself. If that brought out his competitive side or not he had yet to confirm it.

Ichigo nodded to himself. He could understand why he asked such a question. He himself had wanted to get stronger in the past, when he always fighting stronger opponents as he struggled to match them in strength, but from the beginning it started when he was young, after his mother passed away.

"I've been fighting since I was a little kid. I used to take lessons in Karate, but as I got older idiots used to bully me for my hair color, so I fought back when they didn't leave me alone. Just one of the reasons I consider myself pretty good at fighting." Ichigo started to explain. He couldn't see the strange look Koby was giving him in the dark.

"People used to bully you because your hair is orange? That's a pretty common color though." Koby tried to understand what circumstances lead to being bullied for his hair color.

Ichigo sweatdropped trying to process that his hair color wasn't that uncommon in this new world.

"W-well where I came from it's pretty rare. I didn't fight just to protect myself, but to defend my sisters and my friends." Ichigo began reminiscing about his time back home.

"One thing led to another and I had to overcome a large obstacle when one of my friends was in trouble. I was trained for 10 days straight by my teacher at the time to get stronger." Ichigo tried explaining his first run in with Soul Society without giving too many details.

Delving into his explanation that he went to break into an ancient Government of the afterlife to save his friend from execution would lead to a _lot_ more questions than answers. He also had no reason to explain the details of his life in greater detail than he needed to. He wasn't lying per say, just not giving Koby a reason to have him locked in the loony bin.

He wasn't trying to lie to Koby, he trusted the pink haired teen, but the circumstances of his arrival a few days ago and the craziness that was his life, he'd be lucky if he found one person who would believe his life story if he ever talked about it in detail.

"You were trained for only 10 days?" Koby tried to wrap his head around that logic. He had been training with Garp for months, while he had been making great strides in getting stronger, he couldn't understand just 10 days of training to get stronger.

Koby wanted to ask what circumstances lead to training for 10 days to save a friend but held his tongue.

Maybe Ichigo's friend was kidnapped by pirates and he had to save them?

"I've always learned better through fighting than training. The 10 days of fighting wasn't even much training. My idiot of a teacher just attacked me until I learned to fight better. As much as I wanted to give him a beating he'd never forget, I'll admit his 'training' helped me get stronger by a long shot. That's all there was to it." Ichigo settled back into his bed lifting the covers over him remembering that ridiculous sized training area underneath Urahara's shop.

He'd never admit it, but those were some of the most memorable days of his life. The small smile on his face helped confirm his own thoughts.

The skills he gained fighting that crazy bucket hat idiot helped cement his fighting skills he still used to this day.

He remembered somebody telling him in passing that he never had a real fighting technique. Every great member of Soul Society was trained for years even centuries in sword fighting techniques he couldn't even hope to fathom.

Yet he still overcame them, even Aizen with all his strength and powerful Kido he beat him in the end.

Now that he thought about it, the last time he saw the man was directly after he used the Final Gestuga Tenshou and lost his powers.

Was it fair for him to be so much stronger than Shinigami who trained for years and couldn't even come close to matching him in strength?

He mentally shook his head letting his self doubts fade away. He became strong to protect others, that's what made his strength different from Aizen's.

Still…

He had understood Aizen's loneliness when he fought him outside of the real Kakura Town in Soul Society.

Aizen who saw himself above others because of his strength, and Ichigo who strived for strength to protect those close to him.

Two sides of the same coin.

He wondered what happened to Aizen after Soul Society was invaded?

He knew as stupid as that sounded, was he really erased along with his universe?

He didn't know anything about the Hogyoku, but he knew it could 'make the wielders dream a reality'. He had seen the power up close and the beast-like appearance of Aizen was still fresh in his mind.

But led to the one thought that he hoped he would never have to confirm.

Was Aizen really erased from his universe?

…..

He didn't know.

He had no way of knowing.

He'd just have to keep his ear out if he ever heard a story from the marines matching his description.

Not that he expected anyone else from his universe to have survived.

That brought a frown to his face but it could become a serious matter if the possibility did arise.

If the possibility of Aizen or even Yhwach could have ended up in this universe he was in, the consequences would be incomprehensible.

Not the best thing to think about but it could still be a major problem.

Ichigo realized he was lost in his thoughts of his home dimension. A noticeable silence had stretched out for a while now in the small room.

He let out a loud sigh letting the weight that he felt slowly pushing on his shoulders fade away. There was no use worrying about it now.

He should focus more on his life now instead of holding on to the past.

He still had yet to find a purpose for himself here in this new world. Not that he wanted to be a marine even if they treated him fairly and were reasonable.

Garp as rough as he was had a certain friendly aura about him that made it almost impossible to not like him.

Kuzan was a mixed bag with strange past and his ideal justice.

Even then he trusted them both and would stick with them.

He felt he was just at the start of his journey and still had much to learn.

"I guess everyone's different." Koby replied breaking the silence. He had expected Ichigo to continue talking but even he could tell the orange haired teen was deep in thought.

Maybe he shouldn't ask such personal questions.

Ichigo could barely make out the small shrug in the dark room.

Koby's curiosity was practically bursting forward wanting to ask what kind of teacher could teach someone to fight with noticeable improvement in only 10 days, but he held himself back not wanting to intrude more of the orange haired teens privacy.

Seeing as the Ichigo had talked enough about himself, he should do the same.

"I used to be a wimp on a pirate ship before I had a run in with another pirate who saved my life." Koby started catching the orange haired teen of guard with the sudden monologue.

Ichigo blinked hearing the new information surrounding Koby's origin before he enlisted in the marines. The orange haired teen hadn't expected Koby to talk about himself.

"You used to be a pirate?" Ichigo asked not expecting Koby to be a turn coat.

Koby groaned as he remembered his time before the marines.

"I didn't want to be one. I was kidnapped by pirates and they made me clean their ship. They treated me terribly everyday and I was scared of fighting back. Until one day he came." Koby elaborated.

Ichigo was sure that a smile was spread across the pink haired teens face by his tone.

"A pirate named Luffy popped out of a barrel he was sleeping in. He accidentally ended up making his way on the pirate ship I was on. It was incredible how carefree he was about the whole thing." Koby began getting a widening of the eyes from Ichigo at the mention of Garp's grandson.

_Luffy? The same one from the Foxy pirates stories and Garp's grandson?_

It seemed everywhere he went he was hearing about the tales of this Luffy character.

"He single handedly beat everyone on the ship and saved me from the pirates. He even encouraged me to follow my dream of being a marine." Koby swayed side to side remembering how giddy with happiness he was when he was finally enlisted in the marines.

"This Luffy guy must be pretty famous." Ichigo trailed off.

"You bet. He just started off on his adventure and he already has a large bounty on his head. We got a report he had broken into Enies Lobby and is heading back to Water Seven. I can't wait to show him how much I've changed!" Koby could barely contain his excitement waiting to see Luffy again.

Koby couldn't wait to see the look on his face showing him how strong he was now.

Ichigo couldn't really relate, but felt happy for Koby. Hearing about Luffy from different people painted a strange picture of the 'Straw Hat' pirate.

He heard he was strong, an idiot, stupid, a pirate, a notable strong crew following him, and grandson of a famous marine.

And Ichigo thought his life was weird.

Well he would just have to wait and see until he met Luffy for himself. If he did get to meet him on Water Seven that is.

He had no idea what Water Seven even was, but he imagined it was an island of sorts.

Maybe he could figure out more about Robin as well. He knew nothing about her, but seeing as Kuzan had a keen interest about her meant she must be important to him.

Ichigo was about to speak up when the already loud rainfall against the window had gotten noticeably louder.

"Sounds like the storms getting worse." Koby stood up walking over to the window peeking out trying to deduce the strength of the storm. "I'm going to the deck to check up on our condition." Koby walked over to a dresser getting dressed quickly and was out the door making his way up on deck.

Ichigo stared at the door for a few seconds longer before rolling on his side closing his eyes.

He focused more on the sound of the rain ignoring Helmeppo's snoring. He ignored the odd swaying of the ship hoping it would pass and he could finally fall asleep.

His mind relaxed as a blissful sleep took a hold of him.

* * *

Ichigo's peaceful sleep didn't last long as he felt himself thrown from his bed as the ship tilted greatly. He barely had any time to prepare himself before he felt his back crash into the wooden wall of the room, his blanket sprawled across his face.

Holding down the curse that almost passed his lips, he pulled the blanket off his head looking up from his odd position on the floor, he caught sight of Helmeppo clutching his head as a small welt could be seen sprouting between his fingers.

"Ow my freaking head! What's going on!?" Helmeppo spoke up to no one in particular. Reaching around he grabbed the light by his desk flipping the switch lighting up the room with a dull orange glow.

The blonde man's eyes scanned the room catching sight of Ichigo on the floor with him across the room.

"Ichigo? What are you doing in here?" Helmeppo asked not understanding what the teen was doing in the same room as him. The blonde haired man was disoriented and confused about what was happening.

Ichigo was about to respond when a loud ear splitting ringing of a bell and loud shouts could be heard above deck.

"TYPHOON! MAN YOUR STATIONS!"

Ichigo could clearly make out the shouting of the Vice-Admiral from above them, his loud voice probably waking up any remaining sleeping marines on the ship who weren't violently woken up.

Helmeppo scrambled off the floor practically flying out the door leaving it open behind him. More marines could be seen running through the hallways making their way on deck.

The lone occupant of the room blinked for a moment turning his head to the window. Bright flashes of lightning illuminated the barely lit room as the ship creaked and swayed making all sorts of sounds he was unfamiliar with.

Casting a glance at his Zanpakuto's, he stood up walking over to the door stumbling slightly as the ship swayed wildly again. He poked his head out the hallway watching the Marines sprint by his room.

He didn't know what to do in this situation.

Did they need his help up on deck? If he did help what could he do? He didn't even know the basics about how to deal with a storm on a ship.

Looking back at his Zanpakuto's one last time, he walked into the hallway closing the door behind him as he sprinted to the main deck.

He'd help anyway he could, and bringing Zangestu with him wasn't going to help in this situation.

A few more tumbles and loud bangs of thunder he was out on the deck in a flash.

The second he opened the door he was instantly drenched in sea water as a large wave of water splashed across the deck dragging along some unlucky marines standing around him. Some were lucky enough to grab onto anything they could on the deck, securing themselves from the unforgiving waves.

It was pouring rain, lightning flashed across the deck illuminating the ship every few seconds.

Ichigo grimaced hearing the loud thunderclaps. They were practically above the ship meaning they were in the heart of the storm. He may not know about ships, but he did pay attention in class when he learned about storms.

Walking out onto the deck keeping his hands pressed against the wall for support, he tried to find anyone he was familiar with to ask for instructions in how he could help.

"RAISE THE BACK SAILS. QUICKLY!" He heard the shout of Garp from the front of the ship. Turning his head he caught sight of the tall man whenever the deck was illuminated by the short but rapid flashes of lightning.

The Vice-Admiral was standing alone against the waves taking them head on. Every time a wave crashed across the deck he took the full brunt of the wave not moving an inch.

Not wanting to waste a moment he jumped into the air a few meters above the deck gliding across over to the Vice-Admiral, saving himself from struggling to walk across the deck in the chaos of the storm.

A few marines heads followed the teen practically flying in the air above them, some of the newer marines jaws were dropped seeing the blatant defiance of gravity. They turned their attention back to trying to keep the ship afloat manning the sails when the ship shook violently again.

Landing behind the Vice-Admiral, it seemed his entrance didn't go unnoticed as Garp turned his head looking at the orange haired teen.

He noticed the Vice-Admiral was standing at a large wooden steering wheel much larger than any he had seen before.

Just another thing to accommodate the larger size of the Vice-Admiral.

Garp's usual long trench coat was missing as he had on the same clothes from when he fought Ichigo in his match earlier. He was drenched, his usual short white spiky hair was now hugging his head.

"Ichigo! Just the muscle I needed! How much do you know about sailing in storms?" Garp shouted at the teen standing next to him.

"Not a thing!'" Ichigo replied raising his voice to match the Vice-Admiral's, trying to keep himself upright as the ship tilted again as he had to grab onto Garp's shirt stopping him from sliding across the deck.

"Ha ha ha! Don't have your sea legs yet do you? Don't worry too much! Mind giving a hand?" Garp shouted as another large wave rolled over the side of the ship.

Garp's hands spun across the large wheel as the ship turned violently directly into the oncoming wave.

The ship lurched up as Ichigo felt his stomach move uncomfortably upwards before the ship lurched down as his stomach followed.

"Grand Line storms are something else!" Garp couldn't help but grin turning his head around the deck making sure none of his crew had gone overboard.

"What can I do to help?" Ichigo shouted gaining Garp's attention, ignoring the disgusting taste he felt raising up in his throat.

Garp's gaze turned away from the teen as Ichigo looked behind him following the Vice-Admiral's stare.

"See those ropes over there? They control the sails! I need you to pull them and raise the front sails. Koby and Helmeppo are tending to the back sails and can't make it up to the front. Think you can handle it?" Garp's eyes while explainging their situation, his mind was focused elsewhere scanning across the front of the ship trying to make out the waves as they came.

Ichigo turned back around and could easily make out the grin on Garp's face whenever the deck was illuminated during the bright flashes of lightning.

He saw the ropes Garp was talking about. All he needed to do was pull them to raise the sail? That shouldn't be too hard for him.

"Leave it to me!" Ichigo didn't even spare Garp another glance before he dashed off towards the edge of the deck where the ropes were located.

Ichigo caught sight of a dozen marines pulling on another rope across the deck trying to raise the sail at the center of the ship. He'd give them a hand after he dealt with the front sail.

Seeing no marines near the front of the ship was odd, but they were most likely swept away further towards the back of the ship leaving no one near the front.

He just hoped no one was sent overboard.

Grabbing the rope that was dragging across the ground, he gripped it as hard as he could. He grip almost faltered as his hands slid down the wet rope.

Gritting his teeth feeling the uncomfortable warm burning sensation on his palms he pulled the rope as hard as he could. The once wildly swaying sail being beaten down by the strong winds and rain raised slowly as Ichigo realized he would need to walk backwards to pull the sail higher.

In his mind it was an easy task, but when he tried to take a step backwards he had to stop himself as he felt his feet uncomfortably slide across the wet wooden deck as he almost fell over.

Looking down he realized that in his rush he hadn't put on any shoes beforehand.

"Damnit." He let a small curse pass his lips.

With a grimace he realized he would need to improvise.

Another wave crashed across the deck before he could think further about his small predicament.

He held on to the rope tightly as he was practically holding onto it like a lifeline.

The wave hit.

Hard.

He felt his feet leave the ground as he was pulled upwards by the wave, holding his breath as squinting his eyes. It didn't help much because he could feel the salt water burning his eyes.

The ship tilted upwards catching him before he could be swept off the deck.

Even if he was washed overboard he was more than confident he could easily make his way back on board.

The next second the ship dipped greatly as Ichigo was pulled forward towards the front of the ship before the ship balanced out again.

How the hell the other marines could deal with this he had no idea. Even with all his strength he felt he was being thrown around against his will.

A quick glance showed some marines had ropes tied around their waist. That seemed incredibly dangerous but if it could save them from going overboard he couldn't deny the results.

So he pulled, he could only get so far before he felt his feet uncomfortably sliding underneath him.

Another curse passed his lips mentally pounding his head trying to think of another way to solve this problem.

Ichigo blinked remembering something that he had heard for Yoruichi in passing that might help in this situation.

He didn't get all the details at the time, but he remembered her mentioning how she was able to sneak around without making any noise.

Not that he was going to use the technique he heard in passing to make less noise, but the advantage of how it was used could help with his current problem.

The technique was so simple he wanted to hit himself for not thinking about it earlier.

_Wait..._

He did think about it earlier didn't he? When he jumped across the deck to avoid walking across the slippery wood. He had basically used her technique without the sneaking portion.

He would palm his face right now if his hands weren't tied up as they were right now.

The technique was to create a Reiatsu platform beneath your feet and walk just a few centimeters above the ground. He didn't know the details but apparently it was 'the ultimate sneaking technique' coined by the purple haired goddess herself.

Ichigo snorted hearing her boast about it when she had drank a little more than her fair share of sake.

She even tried to use more of her 'adult' techniques on him at the time. He shivered slightly remembering just how far he had to run to escape her at the time. That certainly helped his own sneaking abilities hiding from someone who practically invented the art.

Letting that sweet memory fade he would need to improve her technique, no matter how stupid and simple as it was.

Jumping into the air a meter off the ground he created a platform of Reiatsu to stand on. He couldn't just be a few centimeters off the deck with how the boat was swaying in every direction.

Taking an experimental step back pulling the rope with him was a very strange feeling. Something just felt off about pulling a rope this way.

Well if it worked, it worked.

Pulling the rope further back he watched as the sail started to raise further and further up. He uncharacteristically grunted as he kept pulling the rope back before he felt the rope couldn't be pulled any further back.

Glancing around he noticed Garp had turned his head towards him with his usual grin.

"Good job! Now tie it to post near you!" Garp shouted with his usual gusto.

Ichigo nodded landing on his feet next to the post on the deck. Looking at the rope and at the post he took a moment trying to figure out how to actually tie a large rope like this.

Another moment passed as Ichigo realized he had no idea what he was doing.

Taking another glance at Garp the Vice-Admiral seemed to understand his predicament with a glance. The man could only shake his head letting out a small laugh.

"Jenkins! Mind giving our 'new recruit' a hand would you?" Garp shouted to another marine on the deck.

Ichigo's head turned to a plain looking marine who tried to snap a salute at the Vice-Admiral, but was thrown violently across the deck as another large wave crashed against them.

Jenkins quickly regained his bearings and made his way across the deck slowly before arriving at the post Ichigo was waiting for him at.

"Need help tying this?" Jenkins asked the orange haired teen.

Ichigo felt a small blush dusting his cheeks as he nodded his head, not trusting his own voice at the moment. He was probably the only person on the ship who didn't know simple knowledge like this.

It wasn't his fault though, he never needed to learn skills like these before now. Even back in his home dimension he couldn't imagine a situation like this where he would need to know how to sail a ship in a storm.

Jenkins grabbed the rope and tied it in a flash. Ichigo couldn't follow his movements with his little light there was on the deck. It didn't matter at the moment, he'd probably ask Koby or Garp himself later how to tie a rope like this later.

Jenkins seeing his easy task was done went back to another part of the deck to help his other marines.

Ichigo let out a sigh jumping over to the Vice-Admiral steering the ship waiting for his next orders.

"Anything else I can help with?" Ichigo could help but feel a bit of sarcasm seep into his tone.

It didn't go unnoticed by the Vice-Admiral as his usual grin spread across his face.

"We have a long night ahead of us Ichigo! For now just stay here and give this 'old man' some company will you? The sails are all raised and all we have to do now is hold on tight." Garp grinned turning his head to his shorter friend.

The teen himself could only stare at the older man with a blank expression. How a man like him could smile during every conversation the two had was beyond him. Was he naturally this friendly with everyone or was it something about himself that brought out the best in the Vice-Admiral?

Now that Ichigo was paying attention to Garp's facial expression he could see his grin was a little more strained than usual. Was he struggling to stand up against every wave even with his insane strength and stature? Or was something on his mind?

Ichigo shook his head from those thoughts and chuckled softly to himself.

"If it will keep you from dozing off I'll stick around." Ichigo took a jab at Garp's age. The older of the two couldn't help but bark out a laugh.

"That pains me Ichigo, I'm not that old. I was only getting a little tired. Ha ha ha!" Garp's laugh could be heard clear across the deck.

The marines listening couldn't stop their moods from being lifted up hearing their Vice-Admiral laugh with so much vigor. They pushed themselves harder to man the ship during the storm.

The moment passed as Garp calmed himself focusing more on the waves crashing against his ship.

Ichigo blinked forgetting something very important during the events of the last 20 minutes or so.

Looking around the deck his frown deepened not spotting the person on his mind.

Turning to the Vice-Admiral, the taller man was looking at him in the corner of his eye.

Ichigo asked the question on his mind.

"Where's Kuzan?"

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Not really a cliffhanger but I wanted to wrap up this chapter and have the more important events of the story happen next chapter.**

**Honestly I want to thank everyone for the amazing reviews and the words of encouragement. While some reviews do come as more criticism than praise I welcome it all evenly.**

**I don't want to bash people who just want to have something enjoyable to read. I understand entirely, getting upset about things is understandable and I hope to get this story rolling again next chapter.**

**I hate short chapters. I would much rather have a more even 9,000-10,000 word chapter than half that, but I had half the chapter written a month ago and I think this is a good stopping point for now. More story driven elements will come next chapter.**

**I will try to upload next month, but with all that is happening I will probably aim more for September. I will try to make the next chapter much longer.**

**I have what I think are some great story ideas and will implement them into the story in the future. For now thank you for reading and know I have no plans on quitting this story.**

**Sorry for the long AN.**

**If I made any mistakes with grammar or anything else, let me know.**

**Until next time.**


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